Raised on a plant nursery in rural Indiana, Pink Martini bandleader Thomas M. Lauderdale began piano lessons at age six with Patricia Garrison.  When his family moved to Portland in 1982, he began studying with Sylvia Killman, who to this day continues to serve as his coach and mentor. He has appeared as soloist with numerous orchestras and ensembles, including the Oregon Symphony, the Seattle Symphony, Portland Youth Philharmonic, Chamber Music Northwest and several collaborations with Oregon Ballet Theatre.  In 2008, he played Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F with the Oregon Symphony under the direction of Christoph Campestrini. 

Active in Oregon politics since a student at U.S. Grant High School (where he was student body president), Thomas served under Portland Mayor Bud Clark and Oregon governor Neil Goldschmidt. In 1991, he worked under Portland City Commissioner Gretchen Kafoury on the drafting and passage of the city’s civil rights ordinance. He graduated with honors from Harvard with a degree in History and Literature in 1992.  He spent most of his collegiate years, however, in cocktail dresses, taking on the role of “cruise director” … throwing waltzes with live orchestras and ice sculptures, disco masquerades with gigantic pineapples on wheels, midnight swimming parties, and operating a Tuesday night coffeehouse called Café Mardi. 

Instead of running for political office, Lauderdale founded Pink Martini in 1994 to play political fundraisers for progressive causes such as civil rights, the environment, affordable housing and public broadcasting. In addition to his work with Pink Martini, Lauderdale has most recently completed two long awaited collaborations with dear friends.  In 2018 he completed Love for Sale, an album of jazz standards with singer/civil rights leader Kathleen Saadat, that began as a gift to a few friends and ended up being a Billboard Jazz charts-ranking album the month it was released. 

In 2019, Thomas Lauderdale and members of Pink Martini collaborated on a new release with the international singing sensation Meow Meow. The album Hotel Amour - the culmination of almost a decade of work- features guest appearances by Rufus Wainwright, The von Trapps, Barry Humphries (of Dame Edna fame), and the inimitable late French pianist and composer, Michel Legrand. Currently, Thomas is collaborating with the iconic Iranian singer Googoosh, on her forthcoming album. Spring of 2023 saw the long-awaited release of Thomas Lauderdale Meets the Pilgrims, his collaboration with Portland’s own surf-rock indie icons, Satan’s Pilgrims. 

Lauderdale currently serves on the boards of the Oregon Symphony, Pioneer Courthouse Square, the Oregon Historical Society, and the Confluence Project with Maya Lin. He lives in Portland with his partner Hunter Noack.

Jimmie Herrod is a Pacific Northwest-based artist and performer who is based in Portland, Oregon. He holds a Bachelors of Music degree in music composition and performance from Cornish, and a Masters of Music in Jazz Studies from Portland State University. While he currently serves as an adjunct professor of jazz voice, he remains and active performer, both as soloist and collaborator. Jimmie has worked in Seattle’s lauded musical theater scene at ArtsWest and the 5th Avenue Theater. Recent performance highlights include being a featured soloist with the Oregon Symphony’s showcase in the 2018 TedX series, working with international acts such as ODESZA as well as being a regular guest vocalist with Pink Martini, touring throughout the US, Canada and Europe. In 2018 Jimmie recorded “Exodus”, his first single with Pink Martini. In 2019 Jimmie Herrod released an EP with Pink Martini, entitled Tomorrow. 

In spring of 2021, Jimmie was requested to audition for the current season of the hit NBC show America’s Got Talent, where he quickly became both a judge and fan favorite, winning a coveted Golden Ticket for his incredible vocal performance of “Tomorrow”. Jimmie continues to compete and advance to the semifinals of the show while touring with Pink Martini whenever possible.

One of the most recognized and trusted voices in the United States, Ari Shapiro has spent adecade as host of NPR’s flagship evening news programAll Things Consideredand the podcastConsider This.He has reported from above the Arctic Circle and aboard Air Force One. He hasbeen a question onJeopardyand an answer in theNew York Timescrossword puzzle. Among hismany journalism accolades, he has won three national Edward R. Murrow Awards, the AmericanBar Association’s Silver Gavel Award, and was named Journalist of the Year by NLGJA, theassociation of LGBTQ+ journalists. His debut memoir,The Best Strangers in the World: StoriesFrom a Life Spent Listening, was an instantNew York Timesbestseller. He also hosts the realitycompetition show,The Mole,on Netflix. His 12-part course for Wondrium, “The Power ofStorytelling,” received a Gold Telly Award. As a performer, he has been a frequent guest singerwith Pink Martini since making his debut at the Hollywood Bowl in 2009. He has performedwith the band in some of the world’s most storied venues and recorded songs in a variety oflanguages. He also tours the country with the actor Alan Cumming in their two-man show,Ochand Oy: A Considered Cabaret,as well as with his own original solo show,Thank You ForListening: An Evening of Songs and Stories.Ari was born in Fargo, North Dakota and grew up inPortland, Oregon. He lives in Washington, DC, with his husband and two dogs.

Born in Jalisco, Mexico, and currently based on Portland, Oregon, Edna Vazquez is a fearless singer, songwriter and guitarist whose powerful voice and musical talent transcend the boundaries of language to engage and uplift her audience. Her original music crosses the genres of alternative rock, folk, pop, and R&B seamlessly and delivers a message of light, love and cultural healing. Her passion for music and education have lead her to empower youth and the community through workshops and projects with the Bravo Youth Orchestras, Young Audiences and the Lullaby Project by Carnegie Hall through the Oregon Symphony. After releasing her album, Sola Soy, Edna Vazquez began to perform at venues nationwide that include, the Lincoln Center, and the Kennedy Center. She has also performed at the MGM in Las Vegas, in a special performance with Latin Grammy award-winner Flor de Toloache and Natalia Lafourcade. Vazquez received the Most Influential Latina Award 2019, and is currently regularly touring with Pink Martini as featured guest vocalist. Pink Martini’s album with Edna Vazquez, Bésame Mucho, will be released on October 4, 2019. Edna Vazquez looks forward to sharing more of her original compositions in 2020 as the headliner of the program Fiesta! with the Oregon Symphony.