Equally at home and well versed in jazz, folk, and Middle Eastern music, as well as classical, Shirley Smart's music draws upon a rich tapestry of influences.

Originally trained at London's Guildhall School of Music, she subsequently moved to Jerusalem where she studied, performed and absorbed the rich overlapping worlds of North African, Arabic, Turkish and Balkan music - as well as jazz - working with some of the region’s leading artists, including Avishai Cohen, Omer Avital, Sabreen and Yasmin Levy.

Since returning to the UK, Shirley has quickly garnered a formidable reputation with her own groups and has worked alongside many leading jazz and World Music artists. Her debut album ‘Long Story Short’, was released in 2018 and adored by the music press, and she has since performed at festivals around the UK and Europe.