Vocalist

Cécile won the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition at the age of 21 (2010). She had just released her debut album, with a music background in the USA and at the Conservatory “Darius Milhaud” in Aix-en-Provence, where her French mother sent her to improve her classical and baroque vocal style. Usually, whoever wins that competition is supposed to have a great career. Since then, Cécile has won many awards (including three Grammys for three consecutive years, and six nominations), released excellent albums, and received plenty of esteem from everywhere: Wynton Marsalis, whose orchestra Cécile was a guest, told the New Yorker that a singer like her comes around once every one or two generations. Her music as a vocalist and composer merges sounds from across ages and cultures, spanning vaudeville, jazz, blues, and storytelling. An outstanding vocal technique is combined with a confident stage presence to draw the identikit picture of an all-round artist.

Cécile McLorin Salvant

Teatro Morlacchi

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Janae Monique Yates, Jazz Drums

The Juilliard School

A storyteller who mines connections between vaudeville, blues, jazz, theater, and Baroque music, Cécile McLorin Salvant is known for being an eclectic curator, unearthing forgotten songs with strong narratives, unexpected twists, and humor. The three-time GRAMMY Award winner for Best Jazz Album, and MacArthur “Genius” returns to the Jazz Club with her unique voice and unmatched musicality.

Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts

Hailed as “her generation’s most imaginative and thrilling jazz interpreter” (Spin), vocalist and composer Cécile McLorin Salvant is much admired for beguiling projects that bring fresh perspectives to jazz performance through dramatic storytelling, vivid historical context, and daring original composition.

Cal Performances

As is tradition, the DR Big Band kicks off the new year with a lavish music party that can send anyone straight into jazz heaven.

DR Big Bands New Year's Concert

DR Koncerthuset

Whether unearthing forgotten rarities or performing 20th-century standards, vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant makes every song unmistakably her own. Driven by curiosity, she seeks songs with strong narratives, unexpected twists, humor, and power dynamics that interrogate or subvert the status quo.

Berklee College of Music

Whether unearthing forgotten rarities or reimagining 20th-century standards, vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant(Opens in a new window) makes every song unmistakably her own. Each piece on her setlist unfolds like a fully realized drama—beautiful, complex, and thought-provoking. 

True to tradition, DR Big Band kicks off the new year with a lavish music party that can send anyone straight into jazz heaven!

Aarhus Music Hall

Hailed by some as a successor to Billie Holiday, Cécile McLorin Salvant is one of the leading voices in jazz today. A winner of the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition at age 21 and a three-time Grammy Award recipient, she brings a singular clarity and curiosity to everything she sings.

McCarter Theatre Center

Spivey Hall welcomes back three-time Grammy® Award winning vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant, one of the most compelling and imaginative voices in music today. Cécile appears with her frequent partner, Sullivan Fortner, acclaimed pianist-composer, who just won his third Grammy®. Celebrated for transcending genre boundaries with her rich tone, expressive storytelling, and fearless repertoire, Salvant blends jazz, blues, folk, theater, and art song into performances that are as intellectually captivating as they are emotionally powerful.

Vocalist

Cécile McLorin Salvant

Events

Upcoming events

Nov 1, 2026

Cécile McLorin Salvant · McCarter Theatre Center

Jan 15, 2027

Cécile McLorin Salvant, vocals Sullivan Fortner, piano · Spivey Hall

Past events

Jul 5, 2026

Cécile McLorin Salvant · Umbria Jazz

Apr 24, 2026

Janae Monique Yates, Jazz Drums · The Juilliard School

About

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