Laura Swankey

Biography

Laura Swankey (she/her) is a vocalist, composer, arranger, improviser and experimental electronic artist based in Tkaronto\Toronto. She has a unique approach to singing, using her agile, expressive and adaptable voice as an instrument in a wide variety of settings that range from traditional jazz to non-idiomatic improvised music, from chamber to experimental rock, folk, noise, pop and beyond. Laura currently teaches voice at the University of Toronto and York University, and previously taught at Humber College. She holds two diplomas from Grant MacEwan University in music composition and jazz vocal performance, a Bachelor of Jazz Performance from the University of Toronto, and is currently completing a MA in counselling psychology. Laura is a Registered Psychotherapist (RP-Qualifying) with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO). Her work in mental health directly informs her holistic, open and compassionate approach to music and music education.

Laura has been featured on over 30 studio albums, and has worked with artists such as Poet Laureate George Elliott Clarke, John Oswald, Rich Brown, Mark Feldman, Christine Duncan, Mike Murley, Juliet Palmer, and James Rolfe. Along with her solo work for voice and electronics, Laura has extensively collaborated with and toured throughout North America and Scandinavia with Avataar (2022 JUNO award winner - Jazz Album of the Year), Parade, The Afton Project, Plastic Babies, Elisa Thorn’s HUE, Mike McCormick’s Proxemics, Jazz Bras Dot Com, Dr. Purgatory, and Star Triptych.

Throughout 2024, Laura was featured on several albums including Noam Lemish’s JUNO-nominated record, Twelve (TPR Records), Parade’s debut record, Lullabies After Storms and Floods (Elastic Records), The Afton Project’s debut record, the ardent companion to your own most daring emotion, Sarah Jerrom’s, Magpie (TPR Records), and Exit Points’, You Are the Right Length (Exit Points).

In late December 2024, a new trio featuring Tilman Lewis (cello), Nilan Perera (guitar) and Laura (voice) will be recording a live-off-the floor album. Plastic Babies - a long-standing trio made up of Christine Duncan (voice, theremin, effects) and Patrick O’Reilly (guitar, effects) alongside Swankey (voice, effects) - is working towards their inaugural album, produced by Jean Martin of Barnyard Records, to be released in mid 2025. The Afton Project, led by bassist Devin Patten, will also be releasing an EP in mid-2025, featuring beloved songs by Toronto-based songwriters that have been reimagined for the ensemble. Also in 2025, Laura will be releasing an album of improvised music with long-time collaborator and friend, guitarist Patrick O’Reilly (W/DRWN Records). Finally, in the spring of 2025, Parade will be going back into the studio to record Stefan Hegerat’s newest compositions for the quartet.