Decorate the Silence

Kristin Berardi and Mark Sholtez unveil Decorate the Silence—a stunning new collaboration to lead you into the quiet corners of musical expression.

Written and produced by Sholtez, Decorate the Silence contains ten of his most hauntingly intimate and personal songs to date, many of which were penned with Berardi’s extraordinary voice in mind. “Kristin Berardi possesses the rare ability to completely inhabit a song”, says Sholtez, and together they deliver a record that is equal parts beauty and heartbreak.

Joining Berardi and Sholtez is a formidable cast of Australian musicians: Sam Anning (bass), Stephen Magnusson (guitar), and Ben VanderWal (drums), drawing on the group’s collective reverence for the roots of modern music, and the convergence of songwriting tradition and improvisation.

The album was recorded at Melbourne’s renowned Newmarket Studios by Emmy Award winning engineer Guus Hoevenaars and mastered by Grammy Award-winning engineer Dave Darlington.

KRISTIN BERARDI is a passionate musician, composer, and educator. Originally from Australia, she now resides in Switzerland, where she serves as a Professor at the Hochschule Luzern (Institute of Jazz and Folk Music).

Throughout her career as a performer and recording artist, Kristin has produced an impressive and diverse body of work, capturing the attention of industry and peers, and receiving countless accolades including:

  • Winner of the Montreux Jazz Festival’s International Jazz Vocal Competition (2006)

  • Three-time recipient of the Australian Jazz Bell Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album (2010, 2013, 2016)

  • Winner of the Australian National Jazz Award – Voice (2012)

  • ARIA Award nominee for Best Jazz Album (2013)

  • Recipient of The Churchill Fellowship (2020)

Kristin is a highly sought‑after musician and collaborator having recorded and performed with an outstanding array of musicians, including Kenny Werner, Ingrid Jensen, Thomas Morgan, Chris Walker, Dan Tepfer, Jerome Jennings, Dan Weiss, Florian Ross, Jim Pugh, Matthew Halpin, Sam Anning, Pascal Schumacher, Andrea Keller, James Muller, James Sherlock, Katie Noonan, Mike Nock, Miro Sprague, Wendy Matthews, Kate Miller-Heidke, Orlando Fleming, Phil Slater, Barney McAll, Julien Wilson, Jamie Oehlers, Hannah Macklin, Carl Morgan, Zac Hurren, Katie Wighton, Emma Dean, and many others.



MARK SHOLTEZ is an ARIA‑nominated and APRA award‑winning songwriter. He first came to national and international attention with his chart‑topping debut album Real Street (Verve/Universal), produced by legendary Grammy‑winning producer Tommy LiPuma (George Benson, Miles Davis, Barbra Streisand). The album earned Sholtez an APRA Award, an ARIA nomination, and the distinction of becoming the first Australian artist ever signed to the iconic Verve record label.

Sholtez’s follow‑up album, The Distance Between Two Truths (Warner Music), produced by multiple Grammy‑winner Larry Klein (Joni Mitchell, Tracy Chapman, Herbie Hancock), brought his dedication to the craft of songwriting into sharper focus. Since then, his music has become increasingly hard to pin down to one genre, crossing musical borders to take in elements of 70’s pop, jazz, modern day Americana, and Laurel Canyon folk.

In addition to his own major label releases, Mark’s music has appeared in numerous international film and television productions including, Private Practice, Pretty Little Liars, Teen Wolf, Grim, and Packed to the Rafters, and has been recorded and performed by artists including Vika and Linda Bull, Troy Cassar-Daley, and Wendy Matthews.

Mark also has a Masters degree from Griffith University and a PhD from the University of Southern Queensland where he lecturers in songwriting and music production, as well as teaching for the prestigious Berklee College of Music.