Nicole Corris
AEA / SAG-AFTRA
Singer
Musician
Storyteller
Nicole Corris is a New York based singer, musician, and storyteller passionate about amplifying the voices of female songwriters. She has performed all over the world in regional theatres, cabarets, concert halls, and cruise ships, and is currently a Resident Guest Vocalist for the brand new luxury cruise line Explora Journeys.
Growing up in a family whose secret word was ‘Shakespeare,’ it’s no wonder that Nicole was drawn to the stage from an early age. She was active in music and theatre all through school and went on to earn degrees in Music and in History from Capital University in Columbus, Ohio. From there she began performing at regional theatres throughout the midwest, including Forbidden Broadway: SVU at Cleveland’s Playhouse Square Center, as well as venturing out to sea to sing on various cruise lines. After a few years of being a theatre nomad, she settled down in the New York area.
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Some of Nicole’s favorite performances have been on the concert stage. Highlights include Wanderlust Theatre Company’s Memory: Los Musicales de Andrew Lloyd Webber with Banda Sinfónica de Montevideo at Uruguay's historic Teatro Solís, The Wizard and I chorus for Stephen Schwartz and the NY Pops at Carnegie Hall, and BC/EFA’s 28th Annual Easter Bonnet Competition at Broadway’s Minskoff Theatre.
Nicole's varied musical interests have served her well, leading to the opportunity to perform everywhere from intimate jazz clubs to opera choruses, but her range was stretched even further in 2018 when her husband’s classic rock cover band couldn’t find a bass player. Corris joked that she could play bass on his new MiniMoog synthesizer, and a musician was born! Not only did Corris learn a new instrument - and a whole new genre of music - but playing in Albatross Air led her to the passion project which has guided all of her subsequent programming.
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What started as a quest to find more female written material while performing in the rock band turned into a deep dive into the songs and stories of women all across the musical landscape - from opera to jazz, musical theatre to contemporary pop. This material has formed the core of Nicole’s musical repertoire since 2019 - from cabaret productions at NYC’s Laurie Beechman Theatre and Tin Pan Alley all the way to the 2021 American Traditions Vocal Competition, where she placed as a Semi-Finalist with a curated program that included music by Libby Larson, Laura Nyro, and Ann Hampton Callaway.
Inspired by songwriter-musicians - Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Sara Barielles, to name a few - and by a desire to offer a self-contained program, Nicole began incorporating piano and guitar into her performances. Last March she debuted her Songbirds solo show, performing music by these artists and more, from Stevie Nicks to Linda Perry and even Taylor Swift, while accompanying herself on piano and guitar.
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As a historian, Nicole’s interest in music goes well beyond the notes on the page. She loves investigating the origin of the material to discover the WHY behind the song: who wrote it, what/who was it originally written for, who made it popular, what was going on in the world at the time that influenced the writers, the performers, and how the song was received. Her love of discovering the stories behind the music shines through in her curated setlists and passion to share not just the songs but a little insight on the pieces and artists themselves.​​​
Nicole is very excited to introduce her newest offering, Rock Goddess, premiering this fall on Explora Journeys. This high-energy tour-de-force - backed by a six piece band - pays tribute to the iconic women who shaped the landscape of rock.
For updates, availability, and booking inquiries, please visit Contact Nicole.
