Vocal Summit
Perth Women’s International Jazz Festival

Doors 5pm
Show 6pm

The PWIJF Vocal Summit returns to celebrate the extraordinary skill and artistry within our vocal jazz community, with special guest, festival headliner – Nicki Parrott (USA). This curated evening features four acclaimed jazz vocalists, each bringing their distinctive voice to the stage in a showcase of world-class musicianship. Audiences can expect a compelling mix of original compositions and timeless standards, performed with flair and nuance, and backed by a hard-swinging trio.

Featuring vocalists Nicki Parrott (USA), Victoria Newton, Penny King, Sofie Kerr and hosted by Simone Craddock, Program Director for The Ellington Jazz Club and Perth Women’s International Jazz Festival.

Nicki Parrott (USA)

Nicki Parrott is an internationally acclaimed bassist and vocalist, best known for her 11-year tenure with the legendary Les Paul Trio at New York’s Iridium Jazz Club, where she performed alongside artists including Paul McCartney, Slash and Tommy Emmanuel.
Nicki’s recordings have received major international recognition, including back-to-back Swing Journal Best Jazz Vocal Album awards (2007, 2008) and a Gold Disc for Black Coffee (2010). In 2012, she headlined the Fujitsu Concorde Jazz Festival.
Nicki has performed with leading figures of the international jazz scene including Michel Legrand, Clark Terry, Randy Brecker, Patti LaBelle and Ken Peplowski. Originally from NSW, Nicki studied jazz at the Sydney Conservatorium and with visiting artist, Ray Brown. Early accolades include a scholarship to the Pan Pacific Music Camps and first prize in the 1992 Jazz Action Society Song Competition for her composition Come and Get It. With support from the Australia Council, she relocated to New York in 1994 to study with Rufus Reid, going on to establish herself as one of the most in-demand bassist-vocalists on the international scene.

“A rarity, a first-class bassist whose playing is as sublime as her vocals” Limelight

Victoria Newton
Victoria Newton is recognised as one of the most exciting and dynamic singers both in Perth and on the London jazz scene. Whilst studying a Bachelor of Music majoring in Clarinet at the University of Western Australia, Victoria discovered an enormous passion for jazz. She went on to study jazz voice at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts where she supported international artists such as Ray Charles, Dionne Warwick, Ray Brown and James Moody as lead vocalist with the Western Australian Youth Jazz Orchestra.
During her early years in London Victoria collaborated with Acid-Jazz recording artist, the late Ronny Jordan for various performances, and supported Terence Blanchard at the Jazz Café with her quartet. She has appeared at many venues and festivals in the UK and Europe including the famous Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London, The London International Jazz Festival, The Soho Jazz Festival, The Oxford Literary Festival, The Ingolstadt Jazz Festival in Germany, and Alexis Jazz Club in Kuala Lumpur for their International Jazz Series.
Victoria experienced international success during the mid 1990s with UK dance/pop group Strike and their massive hit ‘U Sure Do’. The success of this single followed by 4 UK top 40 hits and the critically acclaimed album ‘I Saw the Future’ led to a whirlwind of TV appearances including MTV and BBC’s Top of the Pops, tours to many countries around the world, and performances alongside the likes of Jocelyn Brown, Tina Arena, Rozalla, The Back Street Boys and The Spice Girls.
After many years of touring and recording electronic dance music, Victoria released her first jazz album, ‘The Song is You’ in 2004 which received regular airplay in the UK and featured some of the finest British musicians including the internationally acclaimed Gwilym Simcock.
Since relocating to Perth, Victoria has performed in a variety of musical settings that span blues, jazz and world music with performance highlights that include the Perth International Jazz Festival, Fairbridge Festival, Bridgetown Blues Festival, the Paris Cat Jazz Club in Melbourne, along with regular visits back to the UK to perform at her favourite jazz clubs, The 606 Club in London, The Verdict in Brighton, and The Spice of Life in Soho.
Victoria heads the jazz vocal program at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts.

‘A jazz singer a cut above the crowd’ John Fordham, The Guardian, UK

Penny King

Penny King is an established jazz vocalist long familiar to Perth audiences. A mainstay on the scene for the past 30 years, and a regular fixture of the Ellington Jazz Club since it’s opening in 2009, Penny defies musical classification, moving effortlessly between her jazz and contemporary repertoire and original compositions, adding her own touch to much-loved standards and more.
From early performances as a featured vocalist with the West Australian Youth Jazz orchestra, featuring on their 1996 release ‘Night and Day’, and regular appearances at the Perth Jazz Society and Jazz Fremantle, Penny moved on to the national stage in 2013, with her album Journey, recorded with her quintet, which was subsequently shortlisted for Best Australian Jazz Vocal Album at the 2014 Australian Jazz ‘Bell’ Awards. The album features both original compositions, and reimaginings of jazz and contemporary standards. 
On home soil, Penny has been a regular performer for the Perth International Jazz Festival, Jazz by the Bay Festival, Fremantle International Jazz Festival, York Jazz Festival and Fairbridge Festival to name a few, with other performances taking her as far as Galway Ireland, and back closer to home at the wonderful Paris Cat Jazz Club in Melbourne.
Known for her engaging stage presence, Penny commands every room with a sound ranging from rich swinging tones through to haunting and fragile melodies.
Penny is a highly respected jazz and vocal educator, both as a sessional lecturer in the jazz course at WAAPA, as well as throughout high schools in Perth where she mentors the next generation of vocalists.

‘King is simply an excellent tradition-rooted jazz singer, whose phrasing and scat are jazz elements delivered with rich, pitch-perfect, humanly nuanced ease’ Katie Bull, The New York City Jazz Record

Sofie Kerr

A recent graduate of Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, Sofie has built a loyal following performing in Perth in festivals and live shows gaining recognition for her captivating live performances and her unique blend of traditional jazz standards and modern interpretations. Sofie’s original compositions draw on her wide range of inspirations and love of story-telling. Her charming, dynamic stage presence and emotive vocals leave audiences mesmerised.
Sofie is a recent WAAPA graduate but already a prominent name on the Perth jazz scene, fronting several bands including her own quartets, original projects by esteemed Perth composers, and WAYJO, of which she was a member for four years. She has performed at the Perth International Jazz Festival and Perth Festival, and at many of WA’s wonderful venues including the Quarry Amphitheatre, Government House Ballroom and Perth Concert Hall, as well as appearing at the Kawasaki Jazz Festival in Japan in 2025.
She has released four original singles with her band Tenspeed and is an active member of her generation’s jazz community as co-founder of Third Space Jams, hosting regular jam nights and educational workshops around Perth.
She has had the pleasure of working closely alongside some of Perth’s most esteemed musicians such as the Western Australian Jazz Project, Ben Vanderwal, Harry Mitchell and Jessica Carlton as well as some incredible Australian and international artists such as Emma Pask, Varijashree Venugopal and Paul Grabowsky. Sofie’s love for big band, traditional swing and more modern compositional work has shaped her to be a versatile artist with a focus on storytelling and musical expertise. She is a pivotal member of the Perth Jazz Community, and a talent to watch!