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DAY 1 Emerging Artist Festival feat. Ekep Nkwelle Quartet
November 1 @ 5:00 pm
7th Annual Emerging Artist Festival
Friday evening: On November 1st the VJC, in collaboration with 118 Elliot Gallery, will present a selection of student groups as part of Brattleboro’s Gallery Walk hosted by Downtown Brattleboro Alliance. From 5:00 – 8:00 pm, audiences will groove on hour-long sets of young musicians stretching out playing jazz tunes, some bravely improvising for the first time in public. This year’s performers include the BUHS vocalists, VJC’s Young Lions Trio, Northfield Mt. Hermon Honors Ensemble, PVPA Jazz, Pop, and R&B Ensemble.
Saturday daytime: On Saturday, November 2nd, the VJC, in association with area high schools and universities, will present student groups performing half-hour sets on our archive stage from 11:00 – 4:00 pm. This year’s groups include performers from Amherst College/Hypatia Ensemble, the University of Massachusetts Jazz Ensembles 1 & 2, Northfield Mt. Hermon Jazz Trio, BUHS Madrigals (Jazz Vocal Group), and BUHS Jazz Band (Instrumental). At 4:00 pm, Emerging Artist Headliner Nkwelle and her quartet will offer a masterclass to these young, striving musicians and to the general public (free of charge).
Saturday evening: Headliner Concert 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.
FULL SCHEDULE LISTED BELOW
DAY 1: Friday, November 1 @ 118 Elliot St. Gallery
5:00 – 8:00 pm: Youth musicians perform as part of Gallery Walk (no reservations required)
On Friday, November 1st, the VJC, in collaboration with 118 Elliot Gallery, will present a selection of student groups as part of Brattleboro’s Gallery Walk hosted by Downtown Brattleboro Alliance. From 5:00 – 8:00 pm, audiences will groove on half-hour-hour sets of young musicians stretching out playing jazz tunes.
Line up:
5:15 BUHS vocalists – Emily Matthew-Muller, Miriam Diallo, AJ Lalanne
6:00 Northfield Mt. Hermon Honors Ensemble
6:45 VJC – Young Lions Trio (Hartmann/Parks/Lazzaro)
7:30 PVPA Jazz, Pop + R&B Ensemble
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 Concert with Ekep Nkwelle Quartet
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.” 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.
—DownBeat Magazine
