Based in Baltimore, MD Anna-Lisa regularly performs throughout Baltimore, Washington DC and New York with some of today’s most acclaimed jazz musicians, including Obasi Akoto, Sean Jones, Tim Green, Tedd Baker, Alex Brown, Eric Kennedy, Cyrus Chestnut, Warren Wolf, Aaron Goldberg, Jeb Patton and EJ Strickland. She can often be found performing at renowned venues such as Keystone Korner, An Die Musik, Jojo U Street, St. Vincent Wine, Smalls, and Mezzrow. In March 2024 she produced and performed in To Sassy With Love: Celebrating The Sarah Vaughan Centennial at Keystone Korner Baltimore.

Anna-Lisa’s journey began in New York City, where she honed her craft at the Manhattan School of Music and became a fixture at legendary jazz venues like Smalls, Mezzrow, and Augie’s. Her formative years were marked by collaborations with luminaries such as Cyrus Chestnut, Obasi Akoto, Myron Walden, and Alvester Garnett, and Andy Farber’s Swing Mavens, which solidified her reputation as a compelling vocalist and storyteller.

Her career switched gears during her tenure as Jazz Vocal Instructor and Jazz Program Coordinator at the University of Manitoba. From 2004 to 2018, Anna-Lisa performed and recorded alongside jazz greats Obasi Akoto, Jimmy Greene, Derrick Gardner, George Colligan and Warren Wolf. Her years there included engagements at The Winnipeg International Jazz Festival 14 years in a row, The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra, The Tarbut Fesitval and The Oceanic Jazz Orchestra while also leading her own celebrated productions of The Songbooks of Leonard Cohen and Carole King.

In addition to her live performances, Anna-Lisa has recorded extensively, with standout albums like Shades of Blue (1998) Wicked Grin (2007) Stepchild (2010) All Over The Map (2017) showcasing her versatility and deep connection to the jazz tradition.

Whether she’s reimagining the works of Leonard Cohen, leading her trio in intimate settings, or headlining with celebrated ensembles like Obasi Akoto’s SPARX or Oceanic Jazz Orchestra, Anna-Lisa Kirby continues to inspire audiences with her boundless creativity and passion for jazz.

Currently, Anna-Lisa is a student in the Johns Hopkins Peabody Institute Jazz Studies Program. Her vocal instructor is the great vocalist Ms. Charanee Wade. In the past Anna-Lisa has studied with Alicia Olatuja and also Anne Marie Moss.

Catch Anna-Lisa most Tuesday nights as the featured vocalist at Keystone Korner’s Bright Moments Jazz Jam Session in Baltimore