Chamber Music America (CMA) recently announced the distribution of $180,100 through its new Performance Plus program. Funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the program supports U.S.-based female-led jazz ensembles by connecting them with an experienced jazz artist-educator for six evaluative listening sessions with the goal of enhancing the ensemble’s performance. The listening sessions will culminate in a recording session, resulting in a high-quality demo for use by the grantee ensemble.
The list of 11 inaugural grantees follows:
Amanda & Associates (Brooklyn, NY)
Leader: Amanda Ekery | Artist-Educator: Sylvie Courvoisier
Arco Belo (Potomac, MD)
Leader: Simone Baron | Artist-Educator: Linda May Han Oh
Aurora Nealand & the Royal Roses (New Orleans, LA)
Leader: Aurora Nealand | Artist-Educator: Tim Berne
The Bounce (East Lansing, MI)
Leader: Gina Benalcazar | Artist-Educator: Rodney Whitaker
Camille Thurman Quartet (Newburgh, NY)
Leader: Camille Thurman | Artist-Educator: Charles Tolliver
Endea Owens & The Cookout (New York, NY)
Leader: Endea Owens | Artist-Educator: Curtis Lundy
Johnaye Kendrick Ensemble (Tacoma, WA)
Leader: Johnaye Kendrick | Artist-Educator: Jim Knapp
Kavita Shah Quintet (New York, NY)
Leader: Kavita Shah | Artist-Educator: Miguel Zenón
The Mara Rosenbloom Trio (New York, NY)
Leader: Mara Rosenbloom | Artist-Educator: Amina Claudine Myers
Nadje Noordhuis Ensemble (Brooklyn, NY)
Leader: Nadje Noordhuis | Artist-Educator: Maria Schneider
Santa Bikini (Easton, PA)
Leader: Laura Watts | Artist-Educator: Frank Lacy
An additional 14 grants totaling $68,800 were awarded by CMA through another new program called Ensemble Forward, which supports young New York City-based ensembles that perform Western European classical and contemporary chamber music.
