“I am music” was one of April’s first proclamations as a very young child and it holds true to this day. Since singing her first notes as a four-year-old, inspired by none other than the Disney Princess movies, her journey toward growing as a musician began. In fact, April has spent the majority of her life performing and competing in the arts.
NYC-based jazz vocalist with the curly red hair from Toledo, Ohio, April Varner is a name you won’t soon forget. Recognizable by her curly red hair and voice of an “old soul”, April brings her listeners to another place- one long ago when the giants of jazz were still gracing the stage. Amassing several viral videos of 1 million+ views on her social media of her challenging solo transcriptions, cleverly crafted vocaleses and acapella renditions of the Great American Songbook, April’s voice can fit itself into a myriad of different molds.
She began taking voice lessons at the University of Toledo as a classical vocalist at age 8 and began studying piano from her grandmother at age 6. No stranger to the stage, April began displaying vocal, musical theatre, drama, and piano talents at the local, regional, national, and international levels at a young age. This includes being a guest vocalist at the Toledo Symphony Orchestra Pops Concert, a 2-time All-National Honors Ensemble member in Nashville, TN, and a National Finalist at the Michael Feinstein Great American Songbook Academy in Carmel, IN. By age 16, April had made her Carnegie Hall debut in Weill Hall following a first-place award by the American Protégé International Vocal Competition, and had traveled to Edinburgh, Scotland as part of a drama group to share the stage with world actors at the renowned Edinburgh Arts Fringe Festival.
April began her musical transition into jazz after discovering a deep passion for it following her freshman year at Indiana University. April soon after became the director of the Vocal Jazz Ensemble, ResoluSHion, within the Grammy-nominated show choir, The Singing Hoosiers. During her final semester at IU, April was the vocalist in the Du Vido Septet, a Brazilian Jazz Ensemble led by Brazilian composer, arranger and pianist, Guilherme Ribeiro. The group was chosen as one of three finalists within the famed Detroit Jazz Festival’s Collegiate Combo Competition. In the spring of 2020, April graduated with her undergraduate degree in Jazz Studies (Voice).
At the age of 28, April has immersed herself deeply into the jazz tradition and has performed/studied with a multitude of legendary artists and jazz luminaries such as Tierney Sutton, Russell Malone, Sachal Vasandani, Jane Monheit, Kurt Elling, Walter Smith III and others.
April has performed/will be performing at some of the most notable venues in the Northeast, such as Chris's Jazz Cafe (Philadelphia), Blues Alley (Washington D.C), Con Alma (Pittsburgh), 54 Below (NYC), Birdland Jazz Club (NYC, sold out debut show), and Mezzrow Jazz Club (NYC, sold out debut show). In May of 2024, April made her International Debut, headlining the Longjumeau Jazz Festival (Longjumeau, France) in celebration of the great Ella Fitzgerald, along with two full shows at Sunset Sunside in Paris. She was invited featured artist in the Jazz For All Ages Festival (Hilton Head, SC), alongside some of the most notable figures in jazz, such as Kurt Elling, Catherine Russell, John Pizzarelli and Emmet Cohen. Most recently, April was on a summer-long North American tour with renowned group, Postmodern Jukebox. Postmodern Jukebox is known for reworking popular modern music into different vintage genres, especially early 20th century forms such as swing and jazz. They have toured North America, Europe, and Australia; often simultaneously due to the extensive discography and the numerous artists and performers involved in the project. Postmodern Jukebox has amassed over 1.9 billion YouTube views and 6.2 million YouTube subscribers since its introduction in 2011.
April graduated in May of 2022 with her Master’s degree in Jazz Voice Performance from the Manhattan School of Music under the guidance of 2-time Grammy© nominated vocalist and teacher Theo Bleckmann. Soon after, she released her first EP, entitled "Hummingbird", featuring both original compositions and original vocaleses.
She was awarded the 2023 Winner of the International Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Vocal Competition, 2024 Honorable Mention Award in the ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composers Competition and a most recent mention in the 2025 73rd Annual Critics Poll in Downbeat Magazine as a “Rising Star Female Vocalist of the Year”.
April released her debut album in 2024 entitled “April by April Varner”, on Cellar Live Record Label. This genre-busting collection of all April-titled songs was produced by Grammy-Award winning drummer, producer and educator, Ulysses Owens Jr. The personnel of the album included Russell Malone, Benny Benack III, Dayna Stephens, Theo Bleckmann ("Dear April" Track Producer/Vocal Arrangement), Reuben Rogers, Miguel Russell and Caelan Cardello (Album arranger).
It received many accolades, such as a 4 out of 5 star review from Downbeat Magazine (October 2024 Issue), was included in Downbeat's "Best Albums of 2024" list (January Issue) and was listed in The New York City Jazz Record's "Best of 2024" under "Debuts" and "Vocal Releases" (January Issue).
In Winter of 2024, she self-released a 6 song EP, entitled “Winter Songs Vol. 1”. This small collection of classic wintery tunes featured a stellar line up of musicians - the Emmet Cohen Trio, Grammy-Award Winning Vocalist, Nicole Zuraitis, and Award-Winning Brazilian Guitarist, Chico Pinheiro.
In November 2025, April released the second collection, “Winter Songs Vol. 2”, this time as a full length Christmas album on Cellar Live Record Label. Once again produced by Ulysses Owens Jr. and featuring him on drums, personnel included Luther Allison (piano), Yasushi Nakamura (bass), The Sunhouse Singers vocal trio (June Cavlan, Kate Kortum, Joie Bianco), Theo Bleckmann (vocals) and Leandro Pellegrino (guitar).
In a short amount of time, this record has received many glowing reviews: “the album retains warmth without succumbing to nostalgia, intelligence without pretension…” (Paris Move, Highest Rating of ‘Indespensable’), “It isn’t just her pretty voice, either. It’s her style, technique, and heart…” (The Toledo Blade).
Her next album, entitled “Ella” is set to be released in late March 2026 with Cellar Live. Having been April’s biggest vocal inspiration, this album will feature a collection of Ella Fitzgerald’s greatest hits with a twist, spanning from the very beginning of her career to her peak. Produced by Ulysses Owens Jr., personnel include Emmet Cohen, Yasushi Nakamura, and more!