Fini Bearman

Fini Bearman is a singer, songwriter and composer based in London, in the United Kingdom. Her work combines jazz, folk and contemporary music, and she often writes settings of poetry and other existing texts as well as original lyrics. She also uses wordless vocal writing in some pieces. Her music is described through a balance of harmony, orchestration and contemporary groove.

Recording and releases

Bearman releases music on F-IRE Records. Her album Porgy & Bess appears in her recorded output. Her writing is associated with both composed material and more improvisatory or textless approaches.

Training and development

She studies voice in both classical and jazz styles at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, where she spends four years on the BMus programme. Her teachers there include Anita Wardell, Lee Gibson, Martin Hathaway, Martin Speake and Pete Churchill. She later becomes the first vocalist/composer accepted onto the Masters course at the Jazz Institute Berlin, where she studies composition with Kurt Rosenwinkel and singing with Judy Niemack.

Performances and recognition

Bearman builds a profile through performances across the UK and Europe. Venues linked with her appearances include Ronnie Scott’s, The Sage Gateshead, Kings Place, the 606 Jazz Club, Pizza Express Dean Street and Queen Elizabeth Hall at Southbank, as well as A-Trane, Schlott, Cafe Mercedes Jazz, Dizzy’s and Smalls. She also performs at the London Jazz Festival, City of London Festival, Southport Jazz Festival and Howden Jazz Singers Festival.

In 2010, she receives a nomination for London Jazz Vocalist from the Global Music Foundation. In 2011, she is a runner-up in the Jazz Voices competition in Klaipeda, Lithuania, and also a runner-up in the Voicingers jazz singing competition in Zory, Poland.

Collaborations and broadcasts

She performs with a wide range of musicians, including Guillermo Klein, John Hollenbeck, Jim Black, Bobby McFerrin, Roger Treece, Cleo Laine, Jon Hendricks, John Taylor, Christine Tobin, Norma Winstone, Kenny Wheeler, Albert Hera, Ian Shaw, Liane Carroll, Nikki Iles, Liam Noble and Bobby Wellins. Radio appearances include programmes on BBC London, BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 2 and BBC Kent.