Originally from the San Francisco bay area in California, USA, Lucy Southern studied classical violin at the San Francisco State University. There she studied with the Alexander String Quartet, earning a Bachelors of Music and graduating summa cum laude (“with the highest distinction”). Lucy began learning jazz violin on her own around the age of 22, studying and transcribing jazz solos, attending jam sessions with local musicians and occasionally taking lessons with various members of the Turtle Island String Quartet. Having family in Paris, she then later took the opportunity to come to this city to study at the Aubervilliers conservatory with Pierre Blanchard and then at the Didier Lockwood school. In 2018 she, along with two other jazz violinists, formed a quintet called The Gypsy Messengers, combining hard bop with a parisian acoustic jazz aesthetic with three violins, guitar and double bass. They released their first album in 2020. Lucy now lives in Bordeaux, France where she teaches violin at a local public conservatory and gigs and performs regularly in several groups. She plans on releasing her first album with her recently formed Lucy Southern Quartet in early 2023, drawing on her background and combining modern jazz with swing and bebop.