VJC Emerging Artist Festival (livestream)

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

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, the Library of Congress, Blues Alley, The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, and the Strathmore. She has performed at the 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.” 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.

Ekep Nkwelle: vocals
Luther Allison: piano
Liany Mateo: bass
Anwar Marshall: drums

Livestream:
The online streaming of this event is open to the public. We ask those tuning in to donate to support the costs of providing world-class music and educational programs at the VJC.

Access to the live stream can be found on our website and our Facebook page.