Lua Hadar is a multi-lingual vocalist, storyteller, emcee, comedienne, songwriter, independent producer and arts educator. She has charmed audiences around the world in San Francisco, New York, LA, Paris, Lille, Verona, Lisbon, and at the Bangkok International Festival of Dance and Music. Lua is a language geek, and has brought songs from diverse cultures into her jazz without borders, recording and performing with music director Jason Martineau since 2005. Independently produced by her New Performance Group, founder Lua Hadar has released three albums with her band Twist, as well as a concert film, Like A Bridge. Her first original music video, Our Common Humanity, premiered at the San Francisco International Arts Festival. She released her second original music video, Saudade, in May 2020. In Lisbon, she loves sitting in at jazz jams, documenting her cross-cultural experience by writing and producing her blog and podcast, Nomad Notes. Lua was a founding member of the Bay Area comic girl trio, The Kitchenettes (described as The Andrews Sisters on acid), with whom she appeared in the States and at the Italian National Festival of Comic Song.
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Instantly accessible and truly exotic, she has been molded by cultural exchange experiences in places as diverse as Bali, Russia, Switzerland, Japan, Thailand, France, Italy and Portugal. Her fascination with world cultures is reflected in the sophisticated song choices for her band, Twist.
The mission of her band is to foster world harmony through music. This passion found its expression in the production and release of her Concert Film, Like A Bridge, which features songs in seven languages about our common humanity. It now appears as a full-length Concert Film on iTunes and Google Play. See the free 9-Part YouTube mini-series on the making of Like A Bridge and Lua's Backstory.
Lua performs full themed shows in French and in Italian. She has appeared with her band at Yoshi's Jazz Club, The Fairmont Hotel, The Palace of the Legion of Honor, Fort Mason, Feinstein's at the Nikko, San Francisco’s Society Cabaret, The Rrazz Room, The Plush Room and Jazz at Pearl’s, New York’s Iridium Jazz Club and Cornelia Street Café, the Swan Bar in Paris, Théâtre Les Tisserands in Lille, France, Club Duque da Rua in Lisbon, Club O Grilo Beato in Lisbon, and at the Bangkok International Festival of Dance and Music.
A Teaching Artist with San Francisco Opera Education and also at her own Studio NPG, Lua Hadar has instructed in world jazz standards, musical theatre, opera, cabaret, and French chanson. She speaks and can teach in four languages. She has taught Master Classes for Singers on the Great American Songbook in Lille, France. She often coaches professional singers in her Performance Skills Workshop with singer-teacher-recording artist Daria.
Hadar is a credentialed teacher with a B.A. in Theatre, an M.A. in Education, with studies at New York's Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre, Dalcroze School of Music and at the Metropolitan Opera.
Lua has served San Francisco with a seven-year stint on the Arts Providers Alliance Executive Committee and on the Advisory Committee of the San Francisco Unified School District Arts Master Plan.
Lua’s recordings appear on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, Soundcloud, Pandora, and most digital services.
vivacious brand of jazz…inspired …swinging …cool - Luna Kafé, Sweden
…seductive… polished vocal phrasing… irresistible - Blast Radio 1386, UK
…first call band of international talent with an innate gift of swing and the ability to reinvent tunes without disrespecting the originals…incredibly intriguing hybrid… delightful world flavor… - Brent Black, Critical Jazz