Wren Marie Harrington delivers one of the most luscious recordings of the year. Her impeccable selection of songs vary from cool jazz to sizzling Latin gems. Her vocals are full, fresh, rich and emotive. - iTunes
With her rich lower register and smooth phrasing, she filled "Night Song" from the Broadway musical "Golden Boy" covered by such greats as Sammy Davis Jr. and Nina Simone, with a heartbreaking yearning. - StageBuddy
Wren Marie Harrington is that relatively rare breed of musical performer, equally adept in opera, musical theatre and more recently Latin jazz/world beat. In her latest recording, Light Travels (2014), she explores the riches of popular Latin American, Brazilian, Italian and American classics from the 1930’s, 40’s and 50’s with seamless tonal and cross-cultural blending. The result is a colorful, complex tapestry of song gems, unconfined by idiom or country, brimming with passion and effervescence.
Born in Atlanta, Georgia and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, Wren started as so many did, as a teenager in a church choir, studying opera in college and began her professional life in Europe. She has a Bachelor of Voice Performance degree from the University of Iowa and studied at the L’Accademia Vocale di Lucca in Italy, and the American Institute of Musical Studies in Austria. She sang leading soprano roles throughout the US and Europe, including roles in La Boheme, Carmen, Hansel and Gretel, Der Rosenkavalier, A Chekhov Trilogy (NY premiere), as well as lighter opera and musical theatre works such as The Merry Widow, Kiss Me Kate, Showboat, The Fantastiks, No No, Nanette, and Man of La Mancha. Several years after establishing herself in New York City, Wren landed a role in the longest running show on Broadway (Phantom of the Opera). After roosting for a decade on Broadway, Wren’s obsession with the sounds of the world beyond drove her to an exploration of the rhythms and melodies that drifted past her window in vibrant uptown Manhattan. Latin American and Brazilian melodies haunted her and she developed a style of singing that invited a partnership between smooth vintage era vocals and jazz and Latin rhythms. She soon became a frequent invited guest artist of Mexican and Italian music festivals and has recorded with jazz pianist and composer Toto Torquati. She performs regularly at the Metropolitan Room with her group, the Travel Light Quartet, a seasoned group of notable New York based jazz/world musicians and guest artists from New York's thriving global music scene.