Valerie Vampola is a vocalist and keyboardist based out of Northern Colorado. Her Santa Barbara, California roots bring her to venues across Southern California and Colorado, performing in a variety of jazz, soul and rock acts, ranging from solo performances, rock bands,and 20-piece jazz orchestras. In 2024, Valerie will be debuting two new orignal music projects: a duo with singer/songwriter Katie Quick, and a pop-soul/jazz fusion project with friends and long-time collaborators. She continues to collaborate with many acts across the front range like the Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra where she sang back-up on their most recent album ‘Compared to What’ featuring Tower of Power’s Larry Braggs, and her old full-time project, classic rock cover band Steve & The Cruisers.

Valerie graduated from the University of Northern Colorado in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in Jazz Studies, where she was an ensemble member of Downbeat award-winning vocal jazz ensemble Northern Colorado Voices, under the direction of Kerry Marsh.

Outside of performing, Valerie finds ways to stay involved in her music community. She has been a teacher at Loveland Academy of Music since 2019, where her classical background combined with an exploration of other styles serves as the foundation of her teaching philosophy- giving students a healthy and practical approach to their voices and music. She is also an up and coming composer/arranger in the contemporary vocal ensemble and jazz band scene. At the end of 2023, she debut her first jazz orchestra arrangement with the Gavin Worland Big Band, and has a few projects lined up for 2024.

From 2018 - 2023 She was a monthly contributor to BandWagon Magazine, Northern Colorado’s local music magazine. She loves to dissect and discuss new music from the Colorado music scene, sometimes covering larger touring acts that come through the Northern Colorado area. She has interviewed artists such as Michael McDonald, Cory Wong, and Kyle Morris of The Unlikely Candidates.

In her spare time, she enjoys running with her dog Sgt Pepper, playing video games, and making comical TikToks that show of her love for jazz harmony and about her experiences as a musician.