Lisa Forkish plays at the Jazz Station in Eugene

Welcome vocalist/pianist Lisa Forkish for an evening of original music rooted in jazz, indie-folk and cabaret traditions. Lisa Forkish's music infuses soul-stirring harmonies with life-affirming lyrics to remind us of our interconnectedness while singing into the seemingly lonely paradox of the human experience. Weaving themes of destruction and rebirth, grief and joy, justice and love, Lisa creates a carefully-held space in which the wall between performer and audience is taken down, and everyone is invited to join in song. Lisa calls upon their roots in the traditions of jazz, indie-folk and cabaret as well as their extensive background in contemporary a cappella to layer lush, dissonant vocal harmonies, creating an entire musical landscape that nourishes the ears and the soul. Lisa Forkish (Vocals/Piano/Loop Station) is a queer singer/songwriter, artivist, educator, community-cultivator and vocal director/arranger, infusing all she creates with fierce authenticity and heart. Lisa uses song as a healing art and a tool for fostering connection; their ultimate aim in life is to utilize music for personal and collective liberation. Lisa has taken the stage at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and SF Jazz Center, and their vocal arranging and music directing work has been showcased alongside Kehlani, Ben Harper, Michael Franti, Pentatonix and the Oakland Symphony Chorus. Lisa’s stint as director of her college a cappella group Divisi (from the University of Oregon) was the inspiration for the film Pitch Perfect and she was named Portlandʻs “Songwriter of the Year” in 2008. From 2011-2020, Lisa served as Vocal Music faculty at Oakland School for the Arts where she was also the founder/director of five-time national champion high school a cappella group, Vocal Rush, renowned for their unique arrangements, musical activism, and for taking 3rd place on NBCʻs The Sing-Off. A graduate of Berklee College of Music, Lisa has released five albums of original music; her most recent album From the Ashes reminds us of our interconnectedness and sings into the seemingly lonely paradox of the human experience through lush dissonant vocal harmonies.