Theresa Flaminio

DANiiVORY wrote her first song when she was seven years old, was singing in front of congregations of people by the time she was eight, and sharing the stage with Marvin Hamlisch, The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and The Mendelssohn Choir (under direction of the respected conductor Robert Page) by the time she was ten.  Now if that doesn’t set the tone for a future singer-songwriter, composer, or classical vocalist…I’m not sure what does.

Hailing forever black and golden city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Yes, she is a die hard Steeler’s fan), DANi grew up in a music-clad household, listening to the vibratos of Maria Callas while she was still in her mother’s womb and mesmerized by the classical piano stylings of Vladmir Horowitz and Arthur Rubinstein as a toddler.  Her musical world was shaped early on by her mother, Frieda, who was a professional organist, choral director, and liturgical musician.  Although DANi’s musical ear and first piano lesson came from her mother, she also adapted an artistic trait from her engineer almost turned architect father, Herman, and that was the artistic, poetic, and colorful nature of words.  Hard-work, versatility, discipline, and the courage to follow dreams were all important themes in the family household, so it wasn’t a surprise when DANi decided to ditch her MCAT to exchange a career in the medical field for that of a crazy musician.  Though a bit abrupt, was it really that much of a surprise?

Ms. iVORY went on to receive scholarships at Duquesne University’s Mary Pappert School of Music for studies in Vocal Performance under the direction of Claudia Pinza (Ezio Pinza’s daughter) and for entering talent at Boston’s Berklee College of Music for studies in Vocal  Performance, Contemporary Writing, and Production.  During her time in Boston, DANi developed a good ear for jazz and blues, which incorporated the classical technique she was raised on while expanding her ears and fingers into improvisational technique.  She performed several nights a week regularly as both a keyboardist and singer to help supplement her income while studying and taking classes during the day.

By mid-May 2008, DANi found herself wondering the streets of Venice Beach, California with a brand new album, solely constructed on her own, in her hands.  Momento wasn’t officially released until August 2009 after it was produced, mixed, and mastered properly, yet DANi knew she still had a different sound brewing inside her muse.  She joined the indie-folk-rock band, Silent Star, with former members of Critter Jones, Corey Miller and Mickey Madden. She also created electronically inspired music with Jamie Fergus-Jean as the duo, KHRONIC.  Although Silent Star made excellent traction in a short amount of time, it’s light petered out before it really had a chance to shine. And KHRONIC was a studio project that may someday make it to the stage, but is currently on hold until further notice. DANi decided to go on her first audition through Los Angeles’ biggest live music talent agent, and it turned out to be her only audition since she got the part.

The past year has been filled with festival crowds of 50,000 strong, millions of television and youtube viewers, and long airplane rides across the united states and atlantic.  As keyboardist and backing vocalist (sometimes) for Cee Lo Green in his all-girl backing band, Scarlet Fever, what was only supposed to be a short promotional tour turned into over a year’s worth of concerts and expeditions.  Theresa has appeared on The Tonight Show with David Letterman, Saturday Night Live, The Today Show, Jools Holland (twice), Jimmy Kimmel, Ellen, Colbert Report, Good Morning America, and Lopez Tonight just to name a few.  She has shared London’s Wembley Arena stage with The Foo Fighters, shared festivals bills and stages with Weezer, Sublime, Eminem, Stevie Wonder, Neyo, and Big Boi (from Outkast), and even opened for Prince at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Although DANi is still touring with Cee Lo, she is also the keyboardist and background vocalist for Los Angeles based Indie band, Imagine Dragons, and has recently begun a new project with a few members from Scarlet Fever in addition to working on her solo music.  DANi began her journey as a pianist and singer and has since developed into a guitar, bass, and multi-instrumentalist.