Lela Kaplowitz cijenjena je i nagrađivana jazz vokalistica, skladateljica i edukatorica s međunarodnom karijerom. Poznata je po sugestivnim interpretacijama američke jazz pjesmarice, ali i po autorskim skladbama koje odišu toplinom, duhovnošću i pozitivnom energijom. Njezini nastupi ostavljaju snažan dojam zahvaljujući izražajnoj interpretaciji, spontanosti i dubokoj povezanosti s publikom. Lela redovito surađuje s vrhunskim glazbenicima s kojima muzicira s lakoćom, kreativnošću i virtuoznošću.

Tijekom svoje međunarodne karijere nastupala je u nekim od najprestižnijih svjetskih koncertnih prostora i jazz klubova, među kojima su Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden, Birdland i Blue Note u New Yorku, kao i na brojnim međunarodnim jazz festivalima. Suradnje s vrhunskim glazbenicima i orkestrima uključuju nastupe s Arturo “Chico” O’Farrill Afro Cuban Jazz Orchestra, Duke Ellington Orchestra te brojnim istaknutim umjetnicima svjetske jazz scene. Vokalnu improvizaciju upoznaje kroz studij kod legendarne jazz pjevačice Sheile Jordan na Jazz konzervatoriju u Grazu. Svoje jazz obrazovanje dodatno razvija u SAD-u, gdje surađuje i usavršava se kod velikih imena jazz vokala i improvizacije poput Jay Clayton, Marka Murphyja, Donne McElroy, Barryja Harrisa i Kate McGarry. Pohađa Berklee Summer Music Workshop u Peruggii u Italiji te programe Vocal Performance i Jazz Improvisation na The New School u New Yorku.

Na međunarodnom natjecanju jazz vokalistica u Finskoj 2009. godine osvaja prvu nagradu stručnog žirija i publike te titulu Lady Summertime. Godinu ranije, zajedno sa suprugom i pijanistom Joeom Kaplowitzem, osvaja treće mjesto na međunarodnom natjecanju za najbolji jazz sastav u Bukureštu. Za svoj umjetnički rad i doprinos kulturi dobiva niz priznanja, među kojima i prestižnu nagradu Primorsko-goranske županije za unapređivanje kulturnog stvaralaštva 2010. godine. Od 2013. godine nositeljica je statusa samostalne umjetnice pri Hrvatskoj zajednici samostalnih umjetnika. Sudjelovala je u diskografski nagrađenom projektu Osorska trilogija skladatelja Borisa Papandopula, snimljenom na 37. Osorskim glazbenim večerima, za koji je 2014. godine osvojena nagrada Porin.

Sa svojim sastavom Lekap Quartet objavljuje album prvijenac Love Me or Leave Me u izdanju Dancing Beara, koji je proglašen jednim od deset najboljih hrvatskih jazz albuma 2010. godine. Album Little Boy with a Big Heart – The Music of Boško Petrović predstavlja njezinu osobnu posvetu velikanu hrvatskog jazza, za koji piše inspirativne i produhovljene tekstove na Petrovićeve skladbe, uz sudjelovanje više od dvadeset eminentnih glazbenika hrvatske i slovenske jazz scene. Lela Kaplowitz nastupa i s Duke Ellington Orchestra tijekom njihove europske turneje u Koncertnoj dvorani Vatroslava Lisinskog u Zagrebu, a sudjeluje i u svečanom koncertu povodom 65. obljetnice Jazz orkestra HRT-a izvodeći skladbe iz ciklusa The Sacred Concerts Dukea Ellingtona uz Mješoviti zbor HRT-a pod ravnanjem Saše Nestorovića. Autorskim albumom With Every Breath, snimljenim s Jazz orkestrom HRT-a, potvrđuje svoju umjetničku zrelost kao jazz vokalistica i skladateljica osebujnog glazbenog izraza. Album donosi snažnu poruku ljubavi, duhovnosti i osobnog osvještavanja.

Album Kvarnerska rapsodija sa sastavom Lekap Quartet prvi je njezin album snimljen na hrvatskom jeziku, inspiriran ljepotom kvarnerskog kraja. Godine 2015. sklada pjesme na hrvatskom jeziku za legendu hrvatske glazbene scene Zdenku Kovačiček te producira njezin dvostruki live album Zdenka pjeva Ellu i Lelu u izdanju Croatia Recordsa. Kao strastvena edukatorica, Lela vodi udrugu ATOM kroz koju provodi edukativne programe i radionice jazz glazbe diljem Hrvatske. Više od deset godina sudjeluje u programu Ministarstva kulture i medija Ruksak pun kulture, gdje vodi popularne programe Jazz na kotačima i Atma Mundi za djecu i mlade. Predaje tehniku pjevanja, jazz improvizaciju te održava seminare jazz vokala i glazbe u Hrvatskoj i regiji, poput prepoznatljivog vokalnog kampa i jazz festivala JazzEra.

Godine 2019. dobiva nagradu Internacional Hrvatskog društva skladatelja za autorski projekt koji uključuje izdavanje albuma u suradnji s američkom izdavačkom kućom Parma Recordings te promociju u prestižnoj dvorani Carnegie Hall u New Yorku i Koncertnoj dvorani Vatroslava Lisinskog. Album Zamisli iz 2021. donosi jazz obrade poznatih hrvatskih pop i rock pjesama, približavajući jazz široj domaćoj publici kroz prepoznatljiv optimizam i pozitivne vibracije. Godine 2022. objavljeno je online izdanje albuma Confirmation, snimljenog u New Yorku s gitaristom Danom Adlerom, koji predstavlja povratak njezinim jazz korijenima. Iste godine izlazi i live album To One, snimljen u Lisinskom 2020. godine. Od 2023. godine Lela intenzivno istražuje zvuk u terapeutske svrhe te postaje licencirana zvukoterapeutkinja pri College of Sound Healing London. Redovito vodi zvučne kupke i radi na projektima koji povezuju glazbu, svijest i iscjeljujuću moć zvuka. Za autorski rad i doprinos razvoju hrvatske jazz scene 2024. godine dobiva godišnju nagradu Hrvatskog društva skladatelja Miroslav Sedak Benčić, zajedno sa suprugom Joeom Kaplowitzem. Krajem 2024. objavljuje autorski album jazz skladbi na hrvatskom jeziku Moj svijet, koji je 2025. godine nominiran za najbolji jazz album, dok je pjesma Let nominirana za najbolju jazz skladbu.

Nakon uspješnih koncerata u Grčkoj i na Zelenortskim Otocima, Lela Kaplowitz nastavlja međunarodne nastupe u Azerbajdžanu, Portugalu, Austriji, Bugarskoj, Luxemburgu, Sloveniji i Njemačkoj a 2.10. priprema objavu novog autorskog albuma The Journey, posvećenog ljubavi prema blues glazbi.

O Leli su rekli:

Predivan glas!
Bobby McFerrin

Lela je pjevačica izvanredne I jedinstvene kvalitete.
Percy Heathbr

Kaplowitz jednostavno pjeva fantastično.
Michael Bailey (All About Jazz)

Lela je iznimno talentirana vokalistica.
Sheila Jordanbr

Obožavam Lelin talent, kreativnost I individualnost. Sa svojim senzibilitetom I inteligencijom, Lela interpretira pjesme na svoj poeban osebujan način i nikad ne imitira.
Miles Griffith

Lela Kaplowitz ima izvanredan ton, sjajan osjećaj za vrijeme I prvenstveno daje vokal.
Brent Black (Criticaljazz.com)

Svatko tko je ikad video Lelin naastup zasigurno pamti njen jedinstven briljantan glas, njenu snažnu karizmu, šarmantnost, gracioznost I egzotičnu ljepotu. Lela svaku pjesmu pjeva kao da je njena dajući joj novi život, novu izrazitost, dublji značaj.
Juan F. Merino (El Diario La Prensa)

Biography ENG

Lela Kaplowitz is an acclaimed and award-winning jazz vocalist, composer, and educator with an international career. She is known for her expressive interpretations of the American jazz songbook as well as for her original compositions that radiate warmth, spirituality, and positive energy. Her performances leave lasting impressions through their emotional depth, spontaneity, and genuine connection with audiences. Kaplowitz regularly collaborates with outstanding musicians, creating music with elegance, creativity, and virtuosity.

Throughout her international career she has performed in some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls and jazz clubs, including Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden, Birdland, and Blue Note in New York, as well as at numerous international jazz festivals. Her collaborations include performances with renowned ensembles and musicians such as the Arturo “Chico” O’Farrill Afro Cuban Jazz Orchestra, the Duke Ellington Orchestra, and many other distinguished artists from the global jazz scene.

Kaplowitz began exploring vocal improvisation while studying with legendary jazz vocalist Sheila Jordan at the Jazz Conservatory in Graz, Austria. She further developed her artistry in the United States, studying with prominent jazz vocalists and improvisers including Jay Clayton, Mark Murphy, Donna McElroy, Barry Harris, and Kate McGarry. She also attended the Berklee Summer Music Workshop in Perugia, Italy, and studied Vocal Performance and Jazz Improvisation at The New School in New York.

In 2009 she won both the jury and audience awards at the International Lady Summertime Jazz Vocal Competition in Finland, receiving the title Lady Summertime. A year earlier, together with her husband, pianist Joe Kaplowitz, she won third prize at the International Jazz Band Competition in Bucharest.

For her artistic achievements and contribution to culture she has received numerous awards, including the prestigious Primorje-Gorski Kotar County Cultural Achievement Award in 2010. Since 2013 she has held the status of independent professional artist within the Croatian Association of Independent Artists.

Kaplowitz also participated in the award-winning recording of Osorska Trilogy by composer Boris Papandopulo, recorded at the Osor Musical Evenings Festival, which received the Croatian discography award Porin in 2014.

With her ensemble Lekap Quartet, she released her debut album Love Me or Leave Me (Dancing Bear), which was named one of the ten best Croatian jazz albums of 2010. Her album Little Boy with a Big Heart – The Music of Boško Petrović is a personal tribute to the legendary Croatian vibraphonist and composer, for which she wrote original lyrics inspired by Petrović’s compositions, featuring more than twenty prominent musicians from the Croatian and Slovenian jazz scene.

Kaplowitz has also performed with the Duke Ellington Orchestra during their European tour at the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall in Zagreb and took part in the celebration of the 65th anniversary of the HRT Jazz Orchestra, performing works from Duke Ellington’s Sacred Concerts together with the HRT Mixed Choir under the direction of Saša Nestorović. Her original album With Every Breath, recorded with the HRT Jazz Orchestra, confirms her artistic maturity as both vocalist and composer, delivering a powerful message of love, spirituality, and personal awareness.

With the album Kvarnerska Rhapsody, recorded with the Lekap Quartet, Kaplowitz released her first album in the Croatian language, inspired by the beauty of the Kvarner region. In 2015 she wrote songs in Croatian for legendary Croatian singer Zdenka Kovačiček and produced her double live album Zdenka Sings Ella and Lela, released by Croatia Records.
Alongside her performing career, Kaplowitz is also a passionate educator. She leads the association ATOM, through which she organizes jazz workshops and educational music programs across Croatia. For more than a decade she has participated in the national cultural program “Ruksak pun kulture” (A Backpack Full of Culture), presenting popular programs such as Jazz on Wheels and Atma Mundi for children and young audiences. She teaches vocal technique and jazz improvisation and regularly conducts jazz seminars and vocal workshops throughout Croatia and the region, including the distinctive vocal camp and jazz festival JazzEra.

In 2019 she received the Internacional Award from the Croatian Composers’ Society for an authorial project that included the release of an album in collaboration with the American label Parma Recordings, as well as concerts at Carnegie Hall in New York and the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall in Zagreb. Her 2021 album Zamisli features jazz arrangements of well-known Croatian pop and rock songs, bringing jazz closer to a wider audience through her distinctive optimism and positive musical energy. In 2022 she released the online album Confirmation, recorded in New York with guitarist Dan Adler, representing a return to her jazz roots. The same year saw the release of the live album To One, recorded at the Lisinski Concert Hall in 2020.

Since 2023 Kaplowitz has been exploring sound as a tool for healing and became a certified sound therapist through the College of Sound Healing London. She regularly leads sound baths and works on projects that connect music, consciousness, and the healing power of sound. In 2024 she received the Miroslav Sedak Benčić Award from the Croatian Composers’ Society for her authorial work and contribution to the development of the Croatian jazz scene, together with pianist Joe Kaplowitz. Her original album Moj svijet (“My World”), released in late 2024, was nominated for Best Jazz Album in 2025, while the song Let received a nomination for Best Jazz Composition. Following successful concerts in Greece and Cape Verde, Kaplowitz continues to perform internationally in Azerbaijan, Portugal, and Austria, while preparing the release of her new original album Journey, scheduled on October 2.

“A beautiful voice!”
Bobby McFerrin

“Lela is a singer of extraordinary and unique quality.”
Percy Heath

“Kaplowitz simply sings fantastically.”
Michael Bailey, All About Jazz

“Lela is an exceptionally talented vocalist.”
Sheila Jordan

“I love Lela’s talent, creativity, and individuality. With her sensitivity and intelligence, she interprets songs in her own distinctive way and never imitates.”
Miles Griffith

“Lela Kaplowitz has an exceptional tone, a great sense of time, and above all she truly delivers vocally.”
Brent Black, CriticalJazz.com

“Anyone who has ever seen Lela perform surely remembers her unique, brilliant voice, her strong charisma, charm, grace, and exotic beauty. Lela sings every song as if it were her own, giving it new life, new expression, and deeper meaning.”
Juan F. Merino, El Diario La Prensa