Brooklyn Conservatory of Music Still Has Applications Open for Jazz Leaders Fellowship Award

Brooklyn Conservatory of Music Still Has Applications Open for Jazz Leaders Fellowship award

–The award supports emerging Black women and Black non-binary jazz musicians in New York City to further their projects and careers–

(Brooklyn, N.Y.) — The Brooklyn Conservatory of Music (BKCM) still has applications open for its Jazz Leaders Fellowship — a $12,500 award for emerging Black women and Black non-binary jazz musicians. Now in its sixth year, Brooklyn Conservatory of Music’s Jazz Leaders Fellowship connects these musicians with the resources and opportunities to further develop their craft and pursue projects that advance their careers. 

Since 2021, two musicians have been selected annually to receive the $12,500 award and access to BKCM rehearsal space. With last year’s addition of Kersten Stevens and Alexandria DeWalt, ten musicians have been awarded fellowships since the program’s launch.

Fellowship winners are responsible for developing one public performance as the leader of an ensemble, and for collaborating with BKCM’s Community Music School Jazz Program Director to establish a framework for engaging students with the Fellow’s artistry.

The JLF program is also a source of performance and curation opportunities for past and future Fellows. For the past two summers, 2023-24 Fellow Melanie Charles has curated BKCM’s popular Midsummer Nights jazz series, featuring performers including 2024-25 fellow Key Hutchinson and JLF Committee Member Cleo Reed. Melanie is once again curating this summer's Midsummer Nights lineup, grounded in the curatorial mission of her collective, Make Jazz Trill Again, which is focused on taking jazz from the museum to the streets.

"The support of Black women and non-binary artists within a cultural form and artistic medium like jazz — a music built upon the principles of participatory democratic process, the affirmation of identity and personal voice, and the acknowledgment and validation of an individual's lived experience in relation to and inextricable from the formation of impactful artistic practice and production — is both a natural and deeply paramount decision to always make,” said Elijah Thomas, Jazz Program Manager at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music. “The Jazz Leaders Fellowship uplifts the human force that has driven artistic innovation since the inception of the music itself, and I'm so grateful to play a small part in its facilitation."

The Jazz Leaders Fellowship program was conceived by former Brooklyn Conservatory of Music Board member Daniel DiPietro and developed by the Jazz Leaders Fellowship Committee, led by musician and educator Fay Victor. The fellowship is made possible by the generous support of DiPietro and his wife Alexis. For a full list of the Jazz Leaders Fellowship Committee, whose members play a key role in the selection process, visit: https://bkcm.org/jlf/. 

“Jazz is such a necessary and unique art form because of its creative, improvisatory nature, with no two approaches to the music being the same. Through this award we’ve gotten to witness exactly this idea through the ten unique musicians who have brought their own flavor to the industry,” said JLF Committee Chair Fay Victor. “It's exciting to be able to see the artistry of this next batch of musicians that will come through in this round of applications.”

About Brooklyn Conservatory of Music:

The Brooklyn Conservatory of Music (BKCM) aims to transform lives and build community through the expressive, educational, and therapeutic powers of music. Our Park Slope home offers private music lessons, group classes, ensembles, and music therapy. Through our community engagement programs, we bring high-quality music education and music therapy to 7,000 students and clients at more than 90 public schools and community-based organizations across the city's five boroughs. We strive to be a safe, affirming, and inclusive place for all people to come together and experience learning, joy, creativity, and healing through music. For more information, visit: https://bkcm.org/

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