Amanda Severson-Kunz
Education and Training
'13 Central Washington University
Awards and Recognition
GRAMMY® Award – Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals (2026)
GRAMMY® Award – Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals (2026)
GRAMMY® Award – Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals (2024)
GRAMMY® Nomination – Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella (2025)
GRAMMY® Nomination – Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella (2025)
GRAMMY® Nomination – Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals (2021)
Jazz Journalists Association Awards – Best Vocal Jazz Group (2025)
John Lennon Songwriting Contest – Grand Prize Winner (2020)
Amanda Severson-Kunz
Division: Expanded Education
Department: Contemporary Musical Arts
Instrument: Voice
Amanda Taylor is a three-time GRAMMY® Award-winning artist, specializing in creating music for vocal ensembles. Pentatonix founder & producer Ben Bram says, “Amanda’s arrangements are absolutely stunning. She has the magical ability to create works that are so dazzling and complex, yet still satisfyingly singable, tasteful, and accessible to all listeners.”
A Seattle native, Taylor grew up in elite ensembles like Seattle Girls’ Choir, Vocalpoint! Seattle, and the Seattle Youth Symphony, where her love for harmony and textural writing took root. At 16, she was one of eight vocalists across the U.S. and Canada to be accepted into the GRAMMY® Jazz Choir, alongside budding artists Kate Davis, Jazzmeia Horn, and Michael Mayo. While in this ensemble, she had the opportunity to perform at such events as the Blue Note Records party, the MusiCares Person of the Year tribute, and the GRAMMY® Celebration After Party (which included performances with artists Cassandra Wilson, Terence Blanchard, and Herbie Hancock). The same year, she joined internationally acclaimed jazz group Groove for Thought as lead soprano and began writing for contemporary a cappella and vocal jazz. Her first vocal arrangements premiered on NBC’s The Sing-Off in 2010. Following her appearance on the show, she earned her degree in music composition from Central Washington University and went on to release her first EP, Little Hearts, Big Words, in 2015.
Taylor is a founding member of the GRAMMY®-winning vocal supergroup säje, alongside powerhouse vocalists Sara Gazarek, Johnaye Kendrick, and Erin Bentlage. The group has earned multiple accolades, including a John Lennon Songwriting Award, a Jazz Journalists Association nomination, and three GRAMMY® Awards for their original compositions and collaborations; the group has also received several coveted creative grants in their short existence, including Chamber Music of America’s New Jazz Works Grant, Patreon’s SuperPatron Grant, Jazz Road’s Creative Residencies Grant, and USC’s Visions and Voices Grant. In 2024, Taylor received three new GRAMMY® nominations, both with säje and without; in 2025, säje received their second GRAMMY® Award, and not long after, were invited to write for and perform at the Hollywood Bowl’s “Perfect Angel: The Definitive Minnie Riperton Tribute”, sharing the stage with artists Alex Isley, Chanté Moore, Lizz Wright, and Stevie Wonder.
An experienced educator and clinician, Amanda has taught at the University of Southern California, Northwest College, Bellevue College, and A Cappella Academy, and has led countless honor choirs across the U.S. and Canada. She is a sought-after studio singer, with credits in major video game franchises including World of Warcraft, Destiny, and Diablo III. In 2017, she launched Wicked Pigeon Projects, a boutique vocal arranging company. Outside of her work with säje, Taylor is in high demand as an arranger and composer, creating bold, innovative works for and alongside artists such as Jacob Collier, Nate Smith, Scott Hoying, Chanticleer, The Manhattan Transfer, Kings Return, and others.
Curriculum Vitae
'13 Central Washington University
- GRAMMY® Award – Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals (2026)
- GRAMMY® Award – Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals (2026)
- GRAMMY® Award – Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals (2024)
- GRAMMY® Nomination – Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella (2025)
- GRAMMY® Nomination – Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella (2025)
- GRAMMY® Nomination – Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals (2021)
- Jazz Journalists Association Awards – Best Vocal Jazz Group (2025)
- John Lennon Songwriting Contest – Grand Prize Winner (2020)
