Annabelle Chvostek

Annabelle Chvostek
Born	Toronto
Genres	Singer-songwriter, Indie Folk, Folk Rock
Instrument(s)	Guitar, Mandolin, Violin
Labels	MQGV

Annabelle Chvostek (born October 5, 1973) is a Canadian singer-songwriter based in Montreal. She is known for her rich singing voice, compelling lyrics and genre-spanning musicality, as well as her Juno-nominated work with harmony trio the Wailin' Jennys.

Life and career

Annabelle Chvostek is a JUNO-nominated singer/songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist based out of Toronto. American Roots Music, UK once described her as an artist “whose talent is so exceptional that [she is able] to explore and master any musical genre she wishes”. Rooted in the Canadian singer/songwriter tradition, her cross-genre versatility is apparent in her five full-length solo recordings, two EPs and live album, and in projects such as arranging and directing choral performances, composing music for dance and film, and collaborating with some of North America's foremost musicians.

Born and raised in Toronto, Canada, Annabelle moved to Montreal in the '90s to pursue a degree in Interdisciplinary Fine Arts at Concordia University. During this time, she released a 4-song EP, One AM to Five AM (1997), and her first full-length album, Full Stop (2000), an experimental electro/folk album that attained a #7 position on Canadian college radio charts after a limited release of 150 copies. During this time Annabelle was immersed in Montreal's multi-disciplinary performance scene. She performed regularly at Le Boudoir, a queer, feminist 1920s-inspired cabaret series and Studio 303, a dance space where she co-billed with artists such as Martha Wainwright. In 2003 Annabelle put out her second full-length album, Water, described by Herizons Magazine as “a palate flavoured with a fine Montreal cabaret sound, garnished in Québécois je ne sais quois and jazz-inflected, folkedged pop”, and in 2004, the raw, angst-ridden EP Burned My Ass, which got the attention of folk super-trio The Wailin’ Jennys, who recruited Annabelle after Cara Luft left the band. All four solo recordings were self-produced and self-released under the label MQGV (Massive Quantities of Good Vibes).

In 2004 Annabelle joined The Wailin’ Jennys and wrote four songs on the multiple award-winning album Firecracker, which was on the Billboard Bluegrass charts for 69 weeks, peaking at #2. Annabelle's song ‘Devil's Paintbrush Road’ was rated the #1 Canadian song for 2006 on Folk DJ Airplay Charts. Upon leaving the Jennys in 2007, Annabelle signed on to Borealis Records, and released two albums, Resilience (2008) and Rise (2012). Resilience was produced by Roma Baran/Vivian Stoll, with guest appearances by Bruce Cockburn, Mary Gauthier, Bruce Molsky, and Julie Wolf, and Rise, produced by Don Kerr, is an unabashedly political album inspired by a wave of grassroots uprisings that had emerged all over the world. “Rise is a milestone for Chvostek and deserves to claim its spot on a number of year-end best-of lists”, Exclaim! Magazine. Rise was nominated for a Juno Award in the Roots and Traditional Album of the Year category, and both Rise and Resilience were nominated for Contemporary Album of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards. Annabelle also co-wrote two songs with Bruce Cockburn for his JUNO-winning album A Small Source of Comfort (2011) and performed them as his guest artist at several venues, including Massey Hall.

In 2015, Annabelle went back to her independent roots and self-released Be The Media under MQGV in collaboration with NY producer Jeff Oehler of Beehive Productions. Be The Media takes an unconventional approach featuring Beehive’s signature ‘live-off-the-floor’ feel, recorded with the trio in a tight knit circle in the acoustic ambience of an old century home. Annabelle’s voice here is given free reign to let loose with songs that express raw emotions and a groove that tends more towards rock’n’roll than conventional roots. “Meticulously produced, well written and exceptionally played ‘Be The Media’ is a beautifully crafted album that could go a long way to getting Chvostek a wider mainstream audience, good stuff”, Ben Hughe's Über Röck, UK. “... a masterpiece, which succeeds both to set nostalgic and retrospective accents, as well as at the same time to sound modern and to be enthralling”, Stalker Magazine, Germany.

Annabelle was forced to cancel the German leg of her 2015 Be The Media tour due to a series of health crises. She had been dealing with hearing loss and tinnitus in her left ear for almost a decade, triggered by a feedback blast during a soundcheck in England while touring Resilience. In late 2015, her left ear went completely deaf, while the tinnitus still rang as loud as ever. Forced into a slower and quieter pace, Annabelle began exploring new ways to create music while coming to terms with her hearing disability. Supported by Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts, she became Echo Women's Choir's artist-in-residence for two years and developed her skills in choral arrangement, composition and conducting under the mentorship of Alan Gasser and Becca Whitla. Annabelle arranged her original compositions and conducted in three Echo Women's Choir concerts at Toronto's Trinity St. Paul’s Church between 2016-18. She also conducted Echo performances at City Hall's 'Unite to Stop Hate' events on the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination 2017, and a pop-up choir for the International 'I Can't Keep Quiet Day', 2017.

Discography

• 1am to 5am (cassette tape; 1997)
• Bija (2000)
• Full Stop (2000)
• Water (2003)
• Burned My Ass (2004)
• What is Indie? (compilation) (2006)
• Firecracker (The Wailin' Jennys) (2006)
• Resilience (2008)
• Live From Folk Alley (2011)
• Rise (2012)
• Be the Media (2015)

External links

• Official web site
• The Wailin' Jennys