SongVault Artist Profile

Sharmila Guha attended the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts and continued studies as a classical singer at the University of California, Santa Barbara. When invited to appear as a featured soloist with the UCSB Jazz Ensemble, she discovered her passion for jazz. After college, she was accepted into the “Jazz in July” program at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, working with the legendary jazz singer Sheila Jordan.

Sharmila began her professional career in 2003 as a featured artist in the Santa Barbara Festival of Art & Jazz. She maintained her classical ties as a cantor and soloist at the historic Old Mission Santa Barbara. In 2003, she was invited to participate in the Thelonious Monk Jazz Institute. Re-locating back to her hometown in 2004, Sharmila focused her energy on her music career. In 2005, she was sought out in the talent search for Filipino-American jazz musicians, performing at the Inaugural Filipino-American Jazz Festival in LA's premiere jazz venue, the Catalina Bar & Grill.

Sharmila now performs as a jazz artist in Southern California having appeared with established names such as guitarist Larry Koonse, saxophonist Kim Richmond, and pianist Gary Fukushima. She also works as a studio singer and private voice teacher. Sharmila continues to maintain her ties with classical singing as a cantor and soloist at St. John Fisher Church, in Rancho Palos Verdes, and as a member of the Los Angeles Master Chorale.