Brooklyn Conservatory Of Music Announces Melanie Charles And Miss Olithea As The Recipients Of The Third Annual Jazz Leaders Fellowship

BROOKLYN, N.Y. - July 10, 2023 - PRLog -- The Brooklyn Conservatory of Music (BKCM) announces the selection of Melanie Charles and Olithea Anglin (Miss Olithea) as recipients of the third annual Jazz Leaders Fellowship (JLF). Charles and Anglin were selected from a highly competitive pool of applicants for the 2023-2024 fellowship program. The two gifted musicians will be welcomed to their new roles at a cocktail reception in the BKCM Garden on July 20.

Now in its third year, The Jazz Leaders Fellowship provides Black women and Black non-binary jazz musicians with resources to further develop their craft and pursue projects that advance their careers. The JLF comes with a $12,500 award and opportunities for recipients to work closely with BKCM students and faculty.

The Jazz Leaders Fellowship was launched in 2021 by the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music to support emerging jazz musicians in creating original music, increase the representation of Black women and Black non-binary jazz musicians in the field, broaden the presence of BKCM in the jazz community and expose BKCM's students to diverse emerging teachers.

The JLF initiative is made possible by the generous support of former BKCM Board member Daniel DiPietro and his wife, Alexis.  The program,  which runs from August 2023 through July 2024, was developed by the Jazz Leaders Fellowship Committee, led by musician and educator Fay Victor, JLF Committee Chair.
Dan DiPietro said, "We are so pleased to support the JLF program, now in its third year.  The caliber of applicants was extraordinary and we congratulate Melanie and Olithea. We are thrilled to have them join the JLF-BKCM family."

"What an incredible journey once again to meet, greet and welcome our two new Fellows!  I welcome Olithea and Melanie to the BKCM family and I am excited to see how they both integrate their amazing practices with the expanding BKCM community, which includes and holds past JLF recipients as well," said Fay Victor.

Melanie Charles and Miss Olithea join the ranks of accomplished musicians Charenée Wade and Jordyn Davis (2021 Inaugural Fellows); and Melvis Santa and Jasmine Wilson (2022 Fellows). This year's Fellows will be honored at an invite-only cocktail reception in the Garden of the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music on Thursday, July 20, 2023.  The event will also serve as the kick-off to BKCM's four-part live music series, Midsummer Nights, curated this year by 2022 Jazz Leader Fellow, Jasmine Wilson.  All of the performers featured in the series were introduced to BKCM through the Jazz Leaders Fellowship.

Charles says of the fellowship award, "It is a true honor. As a BKCM alumna, the opportunity to share my perspective with BKCM students while being supported as an artist at this stage in my career is a blessing and a precious opportunity. As the music world shifts, I think empowering ourselves with the skills and tools to navigate the new terrain is crucial. My dreams as a vocalist, musician and producer are to bridge the gap between Black American music/Jazz and the youth to assure its constant preservation and evolution."

"Music is the perfect partner for a symbiotic relationship. I believe music is a living organism that continues to grow if you breathe life into it. In turn, it can help broaden your horizons not only as a musician but as a person," said Miss Olithea.

In addition to monetary support, the recipients will be empowered and aided in their paths toward music leadership through several opportunities with BKCM. Throughout the period of the fellowship (August 2023 – July 2024), recipients are invited to teach a master class or workshop for BKCM and be eligible for other paid teaching opportunities at BKCM or one of its affiliates; lead performances at/or connected to BKCM (supported by additional funding); access BKCM's rehearsal spaces; and receive mentorship and general support from BKCM faculty and staff.

About the 2023 Jazz Leaders Fellows

Melanie Charles | https://www.melaniecharles.com

There are very few artists whose sound can capture the sentiments of a generation.

The Brooklyn born and raised, Melanie Charles, is one of these artists. Over the past few decades, she has made a name for herself through dynamic engagements with jazz, soul, and R&B. Her bold genre-bending style has been embraced by a range of artists including Wynton Marsalis, SZA, Mach-Hommy, Gorillaz, and The Roots. In 2021, she appeared on NPR's Tiny Desk and stunned with her eclectic style. Through it all, she has remained committed to making music that pushes listeners to consider new possibilities—both sonically and politically.

Make Jazz Trill Again, a project that she launched in 2016, demonstrates her allegiance to everyday people, especially the youth and is focused on taking jazz from the museum to the streets. "I love jazz, I really fell in love with it deeply. But I was interested in young people interacting with it," Charles says. The album Y'all Don't (Really) Care About Black Women is reflective of Charles' tremendous versatility and imagination as an artist but of also her deep care for community.

Twitter: @Melanie Charles | Instagram: @melaniecharlesisdflower

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3oVO0VgF32uQKPAEh77Gwe

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFV1KSWQHnFHEiZjt35j3Fw

Miss Olithea | http://missolithea.com/

Miss Olithea is a singer, songwriter, producer, and sound healing practitioner. She is a native New Yorker who by the age of 18 has performed at every major concert hall in NYC. She received her BFA from the Hartt School in musical theater. Some of her favorite credits include  Millie Christine McKoy's Syncopated Sonnets at the Lannan Foundation, The Afrofuturism Festival at Carnegie Hall, JAM Performance MoMA residency, Maroon and Suffragettes: a Tribute to Greg Tate. Olithea is a proud member of the World renowned Burnt Sugar Arkestra Chamber.

Olithea has also released her music Long Day's Journey (2016) and To Be Seen and Heard (2017) Since those releases, Olithea has deepened her practice in meditation and experimental music. With the use of vocal loops, fx, and sound bowls she channels spirit that calms the heart and eases the mind.  In 2022 She released Cosmic Church (2022),  a  live meditation EP.  Miss Olithea also is a voice teacher and in November 2020 she started her own private studio The Vocal Journey. Olithea finds true delight in training singers in evidence-based techniques for a lifetime of healthy singing.

Instagram and Facebook: @missolithea

Find out more at http://bkcm.org/jlf.