Camille Thurman and the Darrell Green Quartet: Mirza Jazz Residency

Knox College is thrilled to announce the 2025 Jerome Mirza Jazz Residency, featuring the internationally acclaimed singer and saxophonist Camille Thurman. This week-long event will immerse Knox College students in intensive and collaborative jazz activities, culminating in a free public concert at the historic Orpheum Theatre on Friday, January 24th, 2025, starting at 7:00 p.m. The concert will showcase the Knox Jazz Ensemble and Cherry St combo with Camille Thurman and a full set by Camille Thurman and the Darrell Green Quartet.

The public is invited to attend this free concert at the Orpheum Theatre to witness an evening of musical artistry, made possible through the generous support of the Jerome Mirza Foundation.
www.knox.edu/jazzyear

Workshops with Camille Thurman
Jay Rehearsal Hall, Knox College Center for Fine Arts
Free and Open to the Public

The Origins of the Blues: What is the Blues?
Monday, January 20, 8pm

Scatattack: Using our voice as an Instrument
Tuesday, January 21, 4pm

Meet the Band: Understanding Our Place Inside the Music
Wednesday, January 22, 7:30pm

So You Want to be a Professional Musician?
Thursday, January 23, 4pm

Camille Thurman Bio
Remember the name Camille Thurman. As an accomplished composer, esteemed saxophonist, vocalist, and unique interpreter of the jazz tradition, she is quickly becoming one of the leading standard bearers of the art form. Her distinct musical approach to classic and original repertoire, which highlights her craft as a powerhouse singer and instrumentalist, is a captivating blend of tradition and innovation. She makes a considerable and dynamic contribution to the legacy of jazz while paying tribute to its heroes through her music.

The New York City native has amassed several distinctive honors for her musicianship: NAACP Image Award Nominee for Outstanding Jazz Album, recipient of the SOUTH Arts Creative Jazz Road Artistic Residency, Downbeat Magazine’s Critics Poll Nominee for Rising Star Tenor Saxophonist and Vocalist and Rising New Artist (2023, 2022, 2021 & 2020), two-time winner of the ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composers Award, a recipient of the Fulbright Scholars Cultural Ambassador Grant and Chamber Music of America Performance Plus Grant (Sponsored by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation) among others. Thurman also has five full-length recordings as a leader to her credit. Her most recent project, “Confluence: Vol 1,” is a collaboration with master drummer Darrell Green and his quartet.

Thurman made history, becoming the first woman in 30 years to tour, record, and perform full-time internationally with the world-renowned Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra as a saxophonist/woodwind doubler (2018-2020 season). A respected bandleader, she has headlined numerous notable concert venues and jazz festivals worldwide, including the Kennedy Center, The Library of Congress, and the Rose Theater. Her international recognition is a testament to the universal appeal of her music and the profound impact she has made on the global jazz community.

Thurman was chosen by the U.S. State Department under the Fulbright Scholarship grant to tour and perform in Paraguay and Nicaragua as a bandleader. She was recently selected by American Music Abroad and the U.S. State Department to tour and perform in Africa as a U.S. Cultural Ambassador in Cameroon, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, and Mauritania. In May 2020, Camille founded “The Haven Hang: Young Lioness Musician Q&A/ Virtual Mentorship Series.” The Haven Hang serves as a virtual and in-person mentorship series for young women musicians, with an initiative to mentor, aid, and support young women pursuing music careers in the performing arts. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor of Jazz Performance at McGill University.