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DAY 2 Emerging Artist Festival feat. Ekep Nkwelle Quartet
November 2
7:30 pm Concert with Ekep Nkwelle Quartet
Ekep Nkwelle, a 24-year-old Cameroonian-American jazz vocalist, has carved her musical path from the vibrant streets of Washington, DC, to the heart of New York City’s jazz scene—from the Duke Ellington School of the Arts to Howard University, to Julliard’s graduate program in jazz. Nkwelle has sung with numerous jazz luminaries including Russell Malone, Cyrus Chestnut, Peter Washington, Emmet Cohen, and Endea Owens. She has performed with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra as a featured artist, and sung for audiences in iconic venues nationwide, including Radio City Music Hall, the Library of Congress, Blues Alley, the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, and the Strathmore. She has sung for audiences at Newport, Montclair, Hudson, and DC jazz festivals as well. In 2023 Nkwelle was nominated by Wynton Marsalis to receive the Juilliard Career Advancement Grant; this recognition was soon followed by her performance on NPR’s “Tiny Desk Concerts.” Ms. Nkwelle was chosen by Dee Dee Bridgewater to participate in her exclusive, all-women artistic residency, The Woodshed Network. As one of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s newest rising stars, Ekep Nkwelle is poised to shape the future of jazz.
SATURDAY SCHEDULE LISTED BELOW
Day 2: Saturday, November 2 @ Vermont Jazz Center
Student group performances, Ekep Nkwelle clinic for student musicians & Concert with Ekep Nkwelle Quartet
11:00 to 4:00 pm: Student group performances. Location: Vermont Jazz Center Main Stage (New!)
On Saturday the VJC, in association with area high schools & universities, will present student groups performing half-hour sets on our main stage from 11:00 – 4:00 pm.
Line up:
11:00 UMass Jazz Ensemble 1
11:45 UMass Jazz Ensemble 2
12:30 Northfield Mt. Hermon Jazz Trio
1:15 Amherst College – Hypatia Ensemble
1:45 VJC Youth Jazz Ensemble
2:30 BUHS Madrigals (jazz vocal group)
3:15 BUHS Jazz Band
4:00 pm: Ekep Nkwelle clinic for student musicians and the general public
7:30 pm: Ekep Nkwelle Quartet Concert (ticketed)
—DownBeat Magazine
