“Her personality is warm like sunshine and her voice is soft and sultry” - Fairfield County Music Reporter
ABOUT BARBARA ESPINOSA OCCHINO
Barbara is an entertaining, multilingual vocalist who sings jazz/swing standards, Latin favorites, blues, and soft rock/oldies music (song list). She performs songs in English, Spanish, Italian, French, and Portuguese. Barbara manages an impressive roster of musicians for her Barbara's Serenade duos to full bands (venues list) performing at festivals, art galleries, yacht and country clubs, private parties, restaurants, schools, elderly care residences. See events.
Barbara has sung with the The Orchestra Lumos Luminous Storytelling program, the Project Music program, The Fairfield Counts Big Band fundraiser, Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival 50th Anniversary "the public domain" choir, and NY Metro area musicians. She performed at the Rutgers University Puerto Rican Conference, and in Stamford (CT) at The Palace Theatre, Harbor Point, the Mayor's Afternoon of Jazz, the ARTWALK, the Mill River Collaborative Holiday Stroll. She was the featured singing the National Anthem at the Health Wellness & Lifestyle Expo 2023 opening ceremony. Barbara performs special children's concerts at libraries and elementary schools. Barbara has served as a music and entertainment curator for the Stamford ARTWALK, Experience Greenwich Week, Sunday Afternoon Music in Latham Park, Friday Afternoon Music at Heritage Park, Make Music Day, Stamford Mayor's Afternoon of Jazz, the Greenwich Annual Holiday Stroll, and corporate events. Her commercial work includes co-hosting live auctions, acting in videos and commercials, public speaking, and appearing as on-camera TV spokesperson. She has been a session vocalist and bilingual voice-over talent in NY/CT recording studios. She studies jazz, tap, Flamenco, and ballroom dancing and has choreographed musical and choral performances. Barbara has performed leading roles in musicals and was a member of an improv musical comedy group. As an adjunct instructor at CT Sate Community College of Norwalk, she teaches entrepreneurship and marketing. She volunteers promoting music/arts in public schools and serves as a business/marketing mentor and competition judge for the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) helping students to conceive and develop start-up businesses. Barbara lives in Stamford, Connecticut, where she owns a full service advertising and marketing agency (VertexMarketing.com) with her husband, Ron. She is the proud parent of two daughters and three granddaughters. Barbara earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and minor in Biology from Rutgers University. |
Makin' Whoopee - 1928 jazz/blues song by Walter Donaldson, lyrics Gustav Gerson Kahn
Quizás, Quizás, Quizás / Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps -1947 bolero by Osvaldo Farrés, English lyrics by Joe Davis
This 60-second video clip includes:
* Rhythmic blues melody with a quartet at a yacht club * Jazz standard with full band at The Palace theater, Stamford, CT * Latin favorite with a duo at a private event * Swing tune with a 17-piece orchestra for a charity event |
“You were truly a godsend for this event. It was a huge success! Your band was phenomenal!” - Stamford Downtown Special Services District
What a privilege it is to have performed and been inspired by professional instrumentalists including Joe Meo, Jim Clark, Steve Taylor, Carmine Marino, Steve Clarke, Eddie Monteiro, Bill Cerulli, Jim Olbrys, Al Brooks, Bob Ramos, Dave Dana, Gerard Diacri, Joe Stelluti, Maria Tiscia, David Oliver, Harvey Tuchman (Fairfield Counts Big Band), Frank Devito, Joe Shapiro, Gabe Nappi, Esdras Lubin, Charles Casimiro, Pat Mediate, David Goclowski, Chacho Ramirez (Banda Ramirez), Lou Perry, Luiz Ebert, Herb Clay, Dan Swartz, Carlos Manuel Gomez Arguelles, Peter Randazzo, Garrett Mendez, Ian Taylor, Gregg Glasser, Todd Rice, Lester Harper, Scott Litchman, Tony DiCerto, Larry Haddad, among others.