Women in Jazz Symposium - Biographies of Keynote, Presenters and Moderators
Camille Thurman
Keynote Speaker: CAMILLE THURMAN
Remember the name Camille Thurman. As a composer, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and unique interpreter of the jazz tradition, she is quickly becoming one of the standard bearers for the form, making a considerable and dynamic contribution to the legacy of jazz while paying tribute to its heroes.
Fluid and powerful on the tenor saxophone and highly inventive as a vocalist, she also plays bass, clarinet, flute, and piccolo. Her rich sax sound has been compared to Joe Henderson and Dexter Gordon, while her vocal approach—including an impressive scatting ability—has been classified alongside those of Ella Fitzgerald and Betty Carter.
In a few short years, Thurman has shared stages with such jazz and R&B luminaries as George Coleman, Roy Haynes, Dianne Reeves, Wynton Marsalis, The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JALCO) featuring Wynton Marsalis, Kenny Barron, Buster Williams, Charles Tolliver, Jack DeJohnette, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Terri Lyne Carrington, Jon Hendricks, Harry Connick Jr., Jon Batiste, Audra MacDonald, Diana Krall, Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight, Chaka Khan, Louis Hayes, Russell Malone, Nicholas Payton, Jacky Terrasson, Janelle Monáe, Alicia Keys, Lalah Hathaway, Jill Scott and Erykah Badu, among others.
The New York City native has already amassed several distinctive honors for her musicianship: runner up in the 2013 Sarah Vaughan International Vocal Competition, two-time winner of the ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composers Award and a winner of the Fulbright Scholars Cultural Ambassador Grant, The Chamber Music of America Performance Plus Grant (Sponsored by the Dorris Duke Charitable Foundation) and the Jazz Coalition Composers Grant among others. Thurman also has four full-length recordings as a leader to her credit.
Her compositions were featured and performed by her quartet in the ASCAP/The Kennedy Center “Songwriters: The Next Generation” showcase as well as the Greenwich School of Music “Uncharted” Series. Camille has appeared on BET’s “Black Girls Rock” as the saxophonist and flutist in the All-Star Band. Equally adept as a player and a singer, and recognized for her compositional abilities as well, Thurman has also earned accolades from the media, from Jazz Times to Downbeat, All About Jazz to the New York Times, NPR to Sirius XM Satellite Radio, BET to Jazz Night In America.
Thurman tours internationally with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra; she is the first woman in 30 years to tour and perform full time two seasons as a saxophonist with the world-renowned orchestra (2018-2020). After guesting with the JALCO on several shows, including a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, and again during the 2017-2018 season as a featured vocalist for the world premiere of the historic work, “The Every
Fonky Lowdown,” Thurman was invited to play the tenor saxophone chair for the past two seasons, which covered four continents. When she is not touring with the JALCO, Thurman is on the road leading her band, The Camille Thurman Quartet. She is also a
featured artist with the Darrell Green Trio, where she has performed at the Kennedy Center, Alice Tully Hall, and numerous respected international jazz festivals and venues.
Thurman was chosen by the State Department under the Fulbright Scholarship grant to perform in Paraguay and Nicaragua with her band. She and Darrell Green were selected by American Music Aboard to travel and perform in various African nations including Cameroon, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, and Mauritania.
The dynamic musician is endorsed by D’Addario Woodwinds & Co. for reeds, Conn- Selmer Inc. for saxophones and Key Leaves saxophone products.
JAZZ EDUCATOR
Thurman’s mission is to spread a love for jazz to new audiences, old and young, and to inspire younger artists toward musical excellence. As such, she is also an educator, presenting lectures, teaching ensembles, and conducting masterclasses in various schools, colleges, camps, community centers, and arts organizations. Much of her teaching focuses on performance coaching.
“Often, students don’t receive coaching, tips, and instruction on how to work as a performing artist or instrumentalist,” she explains. “I conduct workshops that help develop students as players of their instrument but also teach them how to work together in ensembles, how to practice, and how to study.”
The artist hosts a bi-monthly mentorship series for young women musicians called “The Haven Hang: Young Lioness Q&A Advice Hour with Camille Thurman”. As an educator, Camille offers several focused instrumental and vocal workshops to students ranging from beginner to master level. These include: “Music is All Around Us!,” an exciting, interactive introduction to music; “The Origins of the Blues: What is the Blues?,” an interactive clinic learning about the blues in today’s music that also serves as an historical and geographical analysis of its influence on society and culture; “Rhythms of the World,” a 45-minute musical whirlwind experience traveling around the world, exploring rhythms and the connections between geography, history, and music; and “Rhythm and Justice: Music As a Voice of Social Consciousness,” an historical analysis of music and its relation to history. Her popular lectures include “Jazz and Pop Culture: An Interdisciplinary Look on The Influence of Jazz in American Culture” that looks at fashion, film, photography, dance, language, art and other aspects of society influenced by the Jazz Age as well as how they influenced the music itself, and “Women In Jazz,” an overview of key vocalists, instrumentalists, and female-led bands. Thurman regularly conducts a series of workshops with Jazz at Lincoln Center.
Thurman has also served as an artist in residence for Berklee College of Music in Boston, Northern Illinois University in Chicago, the New York University: Tisch School of Music and Queens College in New York City, Binghamton University in New York, Loyola University in New Orleans, the University of Manitoba in Canada and Millersville University in Pennsylvania.
Thurman has also performed and taught artistic residencies overseas, including Lima, Peru, with the Doo-Bah Jazz Orchestra (Masterclass/Clinic/Performance), Ekaterinberg, Russia with the Ekaterinberg Conservatory of Music, Brazil with SESC and Mexico City, Mexico with the Centro Cultural Roberto Cantoral. Camille has served a guest artist at the 2019 NEIBA Music Educators Conference, the 2020 MOAJE Music Conference, the 2019 NAFME Music Educators Conference, Jazz House Kids, NJPAC Jazz for Teens (New Jersey Performing Arts Center), Niskayuna High School, Washington Performing Arts Center Capital Bop Jazz Camp, the Vermont Jazz Workshop and Jazz St. Louis Jazz U.
JAZZ AMBASSADOR
Already hailed as one of the most important “triple threat” artists on the scene, Camille Thurman is poised to become one of the leading lights keeping the glorious traditions of jazz alive and well. For her, music is its own reward.
“It’s amazing to see how the music transcends language and connects people from all walks of life,” she notes. “Each place I’ve toured with my band or the orchestra, I’ve had young girls run up to me and say, ‘This is awesome; hearing you and seeing you play.’ They ask questions, and I happily answer them. It’s a joy, honor, and a privilege to do this.”
www.camillethurmanmusic.com.
Presenters and Moderators
Jocelyn Gould has been called “a leader in the next generation of great mainstream jazz guitarists” by Howard Paul, CEO of Benedetto Guitars. Her joyful energy has captivated audiences around the world and her passion for music is infectious. She has absorbed the influences of the jazz guitar greats and has woven them into an exciting personal sound. Her unique ability to connect with audiences always leaves them wanting more. Jocelyn Gould has performed internationally in the groups of Grammy nominated vocalist Freddy Cole, Trumpeter Etienne Charles and DownBeat Rising Star trombonist Michael Dease. She can be heard on albums lead by Michael Dease, Jon Gordon, Diego Rivera, Randy Napoleon and Will Bonness. She is the 1st place winner of the 2018 Wilson Centre International Jazz Guitar competition. Jocelyn's debut release as a leader, 'Elegant Traveler', was nominated for “Jazz Album of the Year” in the 2021 JUNO awards. Elegant Traveler showcases Jocelyn's warm and inviting sound and melodic compositions with an all star band. Jocelyn is a professor and Head of Guitar Department at Humber College in Toronto.
Lauren Teterenko is a Woodwind Specialist who has developed a reputation as a Manitoba Performer and Educator. Over the years, Teterenko has performed as a Freelance Musician in a number of recorded and live settings as a Jazz Multi-Instrumentalist. Teterenko is a regular member of the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra, Mark Humphries Orchestra, amongst other collectives, as well as a Director of the University of Winnipeg Downtown Jazz Band and the Saxophone Ensemble Director for the New Horizons Community Ensemble. Along with performing and directing in the city, Teterenko has worked with many school divisions as a Band EA, Clinician, and Private Instrument Instructor. Teterenko completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Jazz Performance from Brandon University, under the direction of Greg Gatien.
Trombonist and composer Jenny Kellogg’s musical career has taken her around the world to China, England, Italy, and Peru. Jenny participated in Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead Residency Program at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Stean’s Summer Music Institute at Ravinia, and she played lead trombone in the Disneyland Resort All-American College Band. She writes on a regular basis for high school and college level jazz ensembles throughout the Northwest. Jenny holds Bachelor of Music degrees in Trombone Performance and Music Composition from the University of Idaho and a Master of Music degree in Jazz Studies from the University of North Texas. Jenny plays in the Spokane area with the Spokane Jazz Orchestra, Bob Curnow Big Band, and Brassworks Northwest.
She is currently Director of Jazz and Trombone Studies at Eastern Washington University where she directs the top EWU jazz ensemble, the EWU Concert Jazz Orchestra, and hosts the EWU Jazz Dialogue Festival. Jenny is in great demand as a guest artist and clinician throughout the US and Canada.
Karly Epp is a Canadian-born, New York-based jazz vocalist who draws listeners into a mesmerizing world that reveals the power of nuance and subtlety in music. Her rhythmic confidence and improvisational prowess stem from a genuine love of straight-ahead jazz, as she has thoroughly studied the masters of its tradition, drawing inspiration from such artists as Sarah Vaughan and Shirley Horn. However, equally important to her is a sense of emotional vulnerability and unaffected delivery — an aesthetic movement led by her teacher and mentor, Grammy-nominated vocalist Gretchen Parlato.
Born into a family of musicians and music educators, Epp’s love of music has been lifelong. After graduating from the University of Manitoba in Canada with a Bachelor of Music specializing in Jazz Vocal Performance, as well as a Bachelor of Education, Epp went on to become an accomplished choral director. She spent several years teaching, directing musicals, guest conducting and presenting clinics. It was during this time that she also discovered her love for arranging vocal music, something she continues to do regularly. Additionally, Epp co-chaired Tempo: The Manitoba Music Conference, an annual large-scale conference for music educators in Manitoba, Canada.
In order to focus on her performance career, Epp relocated to New York City and later graduated from the prestigious Manhattan School of Music with a Master’s degree in Jazz Studies. During this time, she had the opportunity to study with three Grammy-nominated vocalists - Gretchen Parlato, Theo Bleckmann, and Kate McGarry - all of whom influenced her greatly. It was during this time that she was introduced to Somatic Voicework and went on to study the method with Jeannie LoVetri. Her time at MSM also allowed her to further develop her understanding of composition, arranging, and harmony, working with renowned artists and composers including Dave Liebman, Phil Markowitz, and Jim McNeely.
In the fall of 2017, Epp was named a top-15 finalist in the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Competition. This recognition was determined by a panel of highly distinguished judges, including T.S. Monk, Ann Hampton Callaway, Vanessa Rubin, and Will Downing.
Epp has performed at major jazz festivals and clubs throughout North America. She has led her own group at the TD Winnipeg International Jazz Festival, and has appeared as a guest with drummer Quincy Davis (Kurt Elling, Tom Harrell, Benny Green), bassist Karl Kohut (Wynton Marsalis, Felix Peikli & Joe Doubleday’s Showtime Band), and JUNO-nominated duo Erin Propp and Larry Roy, among others. In 2016-2017, she held a monthly residency at New York’s historic 55 Bar with Vinyl Live!. She continues to be active throughout the city and beyond with both private and public performances, as well as her own teaching studio. Epp is currently an instructor at the University of Manitoba.
Anna Blackmore is a Polish-Canadian musician and writer from Winnipeg, Manitoba. She has a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from the University of Manitoba and hopes to complete a masters in English literature in the near future. Her main instrument is the baritone saxophone, and she also plays alto saxophone, flute, clarinet, and bass clarinet. At the U of M, Anna studied with the 1996 Thelonious Monk competition winner Jon Gordon (protégé of Phil Woods), as well as Count Basie Orchestra alumnus Derrick Gardner and acclaimed drummer Quincy Davis.
Anna’s musicianship is influenced by famous jazz musicians Charlie Parker, Gerry Mulligan and Charles Mingus as well as the musical stylings of the West Coast cool jazz era and the bebop era. Anna leads her own jazz trio for corporate functions, teaches private lessons, and plays locally and tours nationally with the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra, local funk/rock fusion band Apollo Suns, and Francophone R&B band Jérémie and the Delicious Hounds. A highlight of Anna’s playing career thus far has been receiving a scholarship to play with the TD Youth Summit Ensemble at the 2019 Ottawa Jazz Festival and being apart of the Women in Jazz Organization mentorship program in Spring 2019.
Shannon Kristjanson is a saxophonist, flutist, and vocalist known for her versatility as a musician, working in a wide variety of musical settings. From classical to jazz to folk to hip-hop, Shannon has performed as a member of many different ensembles including the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra, Super Duty Tough Work, and Papa Mambo. As an educator, Shannon has worked extensively as a guest clinician and private instructor in middle schools, high schools, and post-secondary institutions. Originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and a graduate of the University of Manitoba's Jazz Studies Program, Shannon now resides in Ottawa, where she continues to play music while also practicing law.
Alexis Silver holds bachelor degrees in Music and Education from the University of Manitoba and is currently pursuing Post-Bachelor work in Counselling. She teaches Bands and Drama at Sisler High School in Winnipeg. She has guest conducted, performed, adjudicated, and presented throughout Canada. Alexis has served as a Regional Representative, Advocacy Chair, and Vice-President of the Manitoba Band Association, and Parliamentarian of the Manitoba Drama Educators Association. Alexis believes in the healing power of the Arts and is an advocate for Arts Education.
Anna Penno is currently a the music educator at Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School in Brandon, MB, where she teaches grades 9 to 12 concert and jazz ensembles. Anna received her undergraduate degree in Music Education from Brandon University, where she studied saxophone with Greg Gatien and conducting with Wendy McCallum. In 2013, Anna completed her Master’s of Music Education degree at Michigan State University. While pursuing graduate studies, Anna received opportunities to supervise student teachers, coordinate undergraduate music education field experience placements, and enhance her skills as a performer. With the guidance of her primary advisor, Dr. Cynthia Taggart, Anna conducted research in jazz pedagogy and gender studies. Anna looks forward to opportunities to collaborate with students and other music educators through her involvement in music camps, festivals, and opportunities to adjudicate. Recent highlights include being a member of the jazz saxophone faculty at the International Music Camp, directing the Norman/Parkland Intermediate Honour Band and the Manitoba Junior Honour Jazz Band, adjudicating at the Manitoba Band Association Beginner Band Festival, as well as presenting at the Da Capo Music Education Conference.
Cheri Foster graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a combined B. Mus/B. Ed degree in 2005. Cheri is in her 16th year as the music educator at Ecole Munroe Middle School, where she teaches grades 6-8 concert and jazz bands. In 2016, Cheri was selected as the conductor for the Grade 9 River East Transcona Divisional Honour Band in their joint concert with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. Since 2011, Cheri has served on the board of the Manitoba Band Association and is in her 2nd year as MBA president. From 2011-2015, she also acted as the MBA's representative on the board of the Manitoba Music Educators' Association. In her spare time, Cheri enjoys playing the bari sax as a part of the East Side Jazz Band.
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