Bonnie Eisele

Talented vocalist, Chicago native, Bonnie Eisele’s diverse early professional performing experience includes theatrical tours in the U.S. and Europe with the Chicago Free Street Theater, studio recording on TV and radio commercials; musical shows at the Chicago Playboy Club, Chicagofest, Drury Lane Theater and Miami’s Fountainebleau plus numerous club dates, private and corporate events and teaching private voice lessons in Chicagoland. Also, Bonnie was honored to receive a Rotary Foundation graduate fellowship studying music and dance in Brazil after graduating from the University of Illinois, Champagne with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech. After meeting her husband, world-renowned jazz drummer, band leader, arranger, clinician and author, Les DeMerle, she has appeared at many jazz clubs, festivals, corporate events and cruises nationally and internationally with the Dynamic Les DeMerle Band and Orchestra. Together with Les, they have 14 jazz recordings on various labels including Music Unlimited, Summit and Origin. In addition to singing many styles including Latin, swing, standards and jazz, Bonnie speaks and sings fluently in Portuguese – the language of Brazil, French and Spanish in her international repertoire. For more information, please visit their website LesDeMerle.com. Since Bonnie and Les moved to the Jacksonville, FL area in 1991 at the invitation of the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, they not only performed steadily for 10 years at that venue as the house band, appearing in all their various configurations from trio to full, 17-piece Orchestra, but also have been honored to appear numerous times with the Les DeMerle Band at the Jacksonville Jazz Festival sharing the stage with stellar headliners including Diana Krall, George Benson, Al Jarreau, The Manhattan Transfer, Tito Puente, The Neville Brothers, Grover Washington, Jr., Horace Silver, Louie Bellson and Frank Foster. Ms. Eisele has also focused her creative talents on the not-for-profit Amelia Island Jazz Festival serving as Vice President since she and Les founded the organization in 2001.

Together, Bonnie and Les, with a large group dedicated volunteers, generous sponsors, corporate and government grants, have produced 21 extraordinary Festivals in the charming seaside village they call home. Annually, as a large part of the festival’s mission, they have presented many programs for the AIJF Jazz In The Schools, Jazz For Seniors events and awarded 4-year scholarships to deserving high school students to study Jazz at the collegiate level. Plus, adding to northeast Florida’s rich jazz tradition, during the 21 AIJFs, they have contracted and performed with world-class jazz talents such as David Sanborn, Ramsey Lewis, The Manhattan Transfer, Grace Kelly, Marcia Ball, Delfeayo Marsalis, John Pizzarelli, Tierney Sutton, Rosanna Vitro, Kevin Mahogany, Houston Person, Bria Skonberg, Mindy Abair, David Benoit, Spyro Gyra, Larry Coryell, Henry Johnson, Néstor Torres, Jamil Sharif, Steve March Tormé, Richie Cole, Ken Peplowski, Buckwheat Zydeco, Nicole Henry and Longineu Parsons. Now they are pleased to present the 2025 Amelia Island Jazz Festival: September 28 – October 5 with more star-studded events and enriching programs. For more information, please visit AmeliaIslandJazzFestival.com Bonnie is thrilled and honored to appear at the 2025 Jacksonville Symphony Jazz Series’ “Ladies of Jazz” program with esteemed vocalists, Lisa Kelly and Linda Cole with the extraordinary musicians of Jacksonville Jazz Collective, and she looks forward to continuing to sing and to support the important heritage and history of the American art form, JAZZ.