Ekep Nkwelle Quartet

Ekep Nkwelle, age 24, is a DC-born, New York-based jazz vocalist of Cameroonian-American descent. She has trained at Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Howard University, and The Juilliard School and worked alongside jazz masters such as Russell Malone, Cyrus Chestnut, and Peter Washington.

She was also featured at Radio City Music Hall with renowned classical pianist Lang Lang in collaboration with Disney. She has performed at Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, and Newport and Montclair jazz festivals, but most notably, she was featured in 2022 on NPR’s Tiny Desk singing her arrangement of Geri Allen’s “Timeless Portraits and Dreams.”

2023 marked a pinnacle in Ekep’s career as she was honored with the prestigious Juilliard Career Advancement Grant, a testament to her artistry and character, nominated by jazz master trumpeter Wynton Marsalis.

Nkwelle is one of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s newest rising stars, and is poised to shape the future of jazz. She strives to display her artistry and passion for music with audiences worldwide.