Lisa Forkish

Lisa Forkish is an Oakland-based vocalist, composer, arranger, and music educator. Hailing from the small, quaint  and arts-centered town of Eugene, Oregon, Lisa was surrounded by music from an early age. Her first instrument was violin, but she soon realized that singing and writing songs was her passion, and took up piano in order to accompany her wide-eyed, eager 11-year-old self. During her years in Oregon, Lisa served four years as music director for the University of Oregon’s acclaimed female a cappella group, Divisi, featured in GQ editor Mickey Rapkin’s best-selling book “Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate A Cappella Glory” and 2nd place winner of the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella. Lisa’s arrangement of “So Are You To Me” performed by Divisi was nominated for a CARA (Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award).

Lisa left the Pacific Northwest in 2006 to study at Berklee College of Music in Boston under a prestigious Vocal Performance scholarship. While at Berklee, Lisa self-produced and released her first record, "Between You and Me" to much acclaim. In an effort to combine her passion for social justice with music, Lisa also founded and chaired Musicians Against Sexual Violence, or MASsiVe: a Berklee organization working to unite men and women in the fight to end sexual violence. Lisa received a Berklee Urban Service Award for her work with MASsiVe, and her song "Solidarity," written for the same cause, received the Runner-Up prize in Berklee's Songwriting for Social Change contest. Lisa graduated summa cum laude in 2010 with a Bachelor's of Music.

Lisa has performed all over the country in various capacities, and has shared the stage with a wide range of artists including Bobby McFerrin, Pink Martini and Stephen Schwartz, and in 2010, had the honor of opening for k.d. lang at Hillary Clinton's birthday party. As a songwriter/composer, Lisa has many accolades to her name; she was the winner of Portland's “Songwriter of the Year” competition in 2009 and was one of only 12 young composers selected to participate in the 2010 Johnny Mercer Songwriter’s Project, an intensive summer program at Northwestern University where she had the honor of working with Broadway composer/lyricsts Craig Carnelia and Andrew Lippa, as well three-time Grammy-winner Lari White.

Currently, Lisa is on Vocal Music faculty at Oakland School for the Arts where she directs their premier Concert Choir and is founder/director of Vocal Rush, the high school's renowned a cappella ensemble, recently seen performing for Governor Jerry Brown, at Yoshi's Oakland and The Den at The Fox, and at the 2012 International Championship of High School A Cappella where they took 2nd place. Lisa is also preparing to release her second full-length album entitled "Bridges."