Camille Thurman
Assistant Professor
Acclaimed by Downbeat Magazine as a "rising star"听singer with 鈥渟oulful inflection and remarkable, Fitzgerald-esque scat prowess鈥 and hailed by All About Jazz as a 鈥渇irst class saxophonist that blows the proverbial roof of the place鈥, Camille Thurman has been amazing audiences throughout the world with her impeccable sound, remarkable vocal virtuosity and captivating artistry.听 Many have praised her vocal abilities to the likeness of Ella Fitzgerald and Betty Carter. Her lush, rich & warm sound on the tenor saxophone has led others to compare her to tenor greats Joe Henderson and Dexter Gordon.听
An accomplished performer and composer, Camille has worked with notable Jazz and R&B icons such as George Coleman, Roy Haynes, Dianne Reeves,听Wynton Marsalis & the Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Terri Lyne Carrington, Jon Hendricks, Pattie LaBelle, Gladys Knight, Chaka Khan, Louis Hayes, Russell Malone, Nicholas Payton, Jacky Terrason, Alicia Keys, Lalah Hathaway, Jill Scott and Erykah Badu among others. Career highlights for Camille include performing as a featured guest vocalist for听鈥淓lla at 100: Forever The First Lady of Song鈥听centennial tribute to Ella Fitzgerald and as a featured guest saxophonist in 2021 for听听鈥JOHN COLTRANE: A Love Supreme鈥 at Jazz At Lincoln Center.听
Camille was a recipient of the听Martin E. Segal 鈥揕incoln Center Award for Outstanding Young Artists听and a runner up in the 2013听Sarah Vaughan International Vocal Competition. She was a two-time award winning recipient of the听ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composers Award听and a winner of the Fulbright Scholars Cultural Ambassador Grant to Nicaragua and Paraguay. Her compositions were featured and performed by her quartet in the听ASCAP/ Kennedy Center "Songwriters: The Next Generation"听showcase. She was the first woman in 30 years to tour and perform full time internationally with the world ren own Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra as a saxophonist/woodwindist (2018-2020) Camille has earned accolades from the media including JazzTimes Magazine, Downbeat Magazine, NPR, The New York Times and Jazz Night In America.听As a leader, she has released four records鈥Origins,听Spirit Child听(Hot Tone Music),听Inside The Moment听(Chesky Records 2017) and 鈥淲aiting For The Sunrise鈥 (Chesky Records 2018).听听
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