2025 SISTERS IN JAZZ
COLLEGIATE COMBO COMPETITION
In an effort to support JEN’s overall commitment to represent and cultivate diversity and inclusion in jazz,
the Jazz Education Network (JEN) Women in Jazz Committee has re-established the Sisters in Jazz Collegiate Combo Competition.
Through this exemplary program, full-time university students identifying as young women or non-binary jazz artists ages 18-29 will audition
and be selected to perform in the Sisters in Jazz quintet.
APPLICATION INFORMATION
DEADLINE: OCTOBER 15, 11:59PM EST
Sisters in Jazz alumnae include such renowned artists as
Sara Caswell • Dawn Clement • Anat Cohen • Anne Drummond, • Rosana Eckert • Tia Fuller •
Linda May Han Oh • Tina Raymond • Chihiro Yamanaka …and many more!
AND NOW, YOUR NAME CAN BE ADDED TO THE LIST.
All SIJ applicants must be:
- A JEN Full Individual or eJEN Member
- A full-time college student, concurrently taking a minimum of 12 undergraduate hours or six graduate hours.
All applicants must submit the following by October 15th through the GetAcceptd.com platform:
1. Recording Submission: Preferred format mp3 (M4A or wav files also accepted)
- Four individual audio recording files of your best playing, total recording time not to exceed 25 minutes. (Video recordings not accepted.):
- a ballad
- a medium-tempo blues (swing)
- an up-tempo rhythm changes tune (swing)
- a straight eighth tune (Latin, rock, funk, or original composition)
- VOCALISTS & HORN PLAYERS: play the head, take several choruses of solo and take the head out.
- PIANISTS, BASSISTS, & GUITARISTS: comp the changes or walk a chorus before soloing if not also accompanying a horn or vocal soloist and demonstrating those abilities. Using an existing recording that is not specifically in this format will be also be accepted, however.
- DRUMMERS: Everyone should play “Now’s the Time” as the blues selection and play the melody orchestrated around the set on the head in and out. Blues and rhythm changes should include trading 4s or full chorus solos. One tune, either blues or rhythm changes should include time playing with brushes as well as sticks. If some individual tracks are longer and include several soloists, indicate on the application at what time trading or solo choruses begin on those tracks.
2. One letter of recommendation
- You will submit the email address of one recommender in your application.
- Upon submission of the application, they will receive an email with a link to upload the letter on your behalf to Acceptd.
3. A bio, resume, or CV listing pertinent musical experiences.
4. A headshot or photo
- File should be print quality (high).
- File types accepted include: jpg, gif, and png.
- Label your photo file as follows: LastNameFirstNameJENSIJPhoto
5. An official copy of college transcript or other proof of concurrent full-time enrollment in an accredited college, university, or conservatory (a minimum of 12 undergraduate or six graduate hours)
6. $29 Application Fee paid through GetAcceptd.com.
- Your recommenders will have one week after the deadline to submit their LOR (Letter of Recommendation).
- We recommend lining up more than one recommender for your LOR, as some recommenders don’t complete the task.
- Reviewers want to hear pianists and guitarists comp in addition to soloing.
- Do your best to get as close to a well-balanced, professional-sounding recording as possible.
- Only ages 18-29 may apply.
- You must be a full-time student in the fall before the January JEN Conference.
- Make sure to submit the required repertoire in the format asked for; it is much easier for the adjudicators if all repertoire is submitted in separate files.
- We encourage original compositions for your fourth selection or if they fit one of the other categories.
2025 Sisters in Jazz Director:
CAMILLE THURMAN
2025 Sisters in Jazz Selectees will rehearse and receive feedback a new director each year.
The quintet will prepare a selection of charts to premier at the 16th annual JEN Conference in Atlanta, GA, January 8-11, 2025.
“Imagine if Sarah Vaughan played saxophone like Dexter Gordon. That’s approximately the effect when singer and tenor saxophonist Camille Thurman performs.” —Downbeat Magazine
“You’re hard-pressed to find rising talents more exciting than Camille Thurman.” —The New York Times
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.
The dynamic musician is endorsed by D’Addario Woodwinds & Co. for reeds, Conn-Selmer Inc. for saxophones, and Key Leaves for saxophone products.
For more information on Camille Thurman, please visit www.camillethurmanmusic.com.
Social Media Handles:
Twitter: @camillethurman Instagram: @camillethurman Facebook: Camille Thurman Music
Past SIJ Directors
2024 – Bria Skonberg
2023 – Marion Hayden
2022 – Allison Miller
2021 – Ingrid Jensen
2020 – Tia Fuller
2019 – Claire Daly
2024 SISTERS IN JAZZ SELECTEES
20-year-old violinist and composer Gianna Pedregon grew up in Whittier, CA, where she attended Orange County School of the Arts in the Jazz Studies conservatory. She currently attends University of the Pacific where she is part of the Pacific Jazz Ambassadors, formerly known as the Brubeck Institute. During high school, she was part of several honor groups, including the Monterey Next Generation Women In Jazz Combo, the NYO Jazz ensemble, and the Colburn Jazz Workshop. Gianna has performed at many events across the country, such as the Monterey Jazz Festival, at the Jazz Education Network conference, and the Palm Springs Women’s Jazz Festival. This past summer, she and the Pacific Jazz Ambassadors traveled overseas to Spain and France to play at the Jazzaldia and Jazz in Marciac festivals. She has also received numerous awards as a jazz soloist, including YoungArts and the Downbeat Student Music Awards. She has been mentored by and played with Melissa Aldana, Ashlin Parker, Cyrille Aimee, Terri Lyne Carrington, Glenn Zaleski, Carl Allen, Tamir Hendelman, and many more.
Born in 2001 in Sapporo, Hokkaido, JAPAN, Nanami Haruta started playing classical piano at the age of 5, and at the age of 8 she joined her elementary school’s brass band, where she started playing the trombone and jazz. She started performing concerts in Sapporo when she was 13 years old. When she was 14 years old(2016), she participated in Hokkaido Groove Camp, won the grand prize called Berklee award, and went to Berklee College of Music to join 5-week Summer Performance Program the following year. When she was 17 years old(2019), she participated in the Seiko Summer Jazz Camp and won Most Outstanding Student Award. After moving to Tokyo in 2020, she has expanded her activities by participating in performances and recordings with Aaron Choulai Raw Denshi Sextet, Akihiro Yoshimoto group, and Shunské G & The Peas. In 2022, her first album “II” was released. She is currently a Full Time student in the Michigan State University Jazz Studies program studying with Michael Dease.
Maria Marmarou is a graduate student at Temple University, where she is studying jazz drum set performance. She has had the opportunity to perform with notable artists such as Joey DeFrancesco, Dick Oatts, Tim Warfield, Michael Dease, Steve Wilson, Walter Blanding, Kurt Elling, Rodney Whitacker, Helen Sung, Terell Stafford, Catharine Russell, and Carmen Bradford with the Count Basie Orchestra. Her Performances have taken her to renowned venues like Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola, Rose Hall, and the Appel Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Smalls, the MET in Philadelphia, Café Vivace, The Blue Llama, and Sibelius Academy. She was recently awarded the Earl Hines Outstanding Musician award at the Jack Rudin Collegiate competition.
Jeongmin Ha is a jazz pianist originally from South Korea currently attending the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas.
Jeongmin’s musical journey found its roots during her teenage years when she achieved recognition by winning the National Applied Music Competition hosted by Pai Chai University. Her venture into film music composition also yielded success, with her work as a music director for the short film “Ul-lim” earning top honors at the prestigious Czech Brno Youth Film Festival.
Jeongmin attended the Seoul Institute of the Arts in South Korea, focusing on contemporary music composition. There, she’s had the opportunity to direct and perform in various concerts.
Jeongmin’s journey took an international turn when she transferred to UNT. During her undergraduate years, she had the privilege of performing with notable ensembles such as the UNT Jazz Singers, Zebras, and the Five O’clock Lab Band. Her contributions to the UNT Jazz Singers can be heard on their 2023 album, “[I Carry Your Heart].”
After her graduation, Jeongmin was honored as a finalist in the Jacksonville Jazz Piano Competition in 2021. She returned to UNT in 2022 to pursue her master’s degree, continuing her musical journey as a member of the UNT Two O’clock Lab Band (2022-2023) and sharing her knowledge as a Teaching Fellow.
Chicago-based artist Marion Sly Mallard is a young and upcoming performing musician and composer. In addition to playing bass with musicians all over and around the city, Marion has many pursuits in the arts – composition, recording studio work, band-leading, music production/mixing, teaching, as well as photography. Originally from Decatur, IL, Marion grew up with music in her life in many forms. She has spent years studying upright and electric bass, as well as alto saxophone and piano, and has been recognized for her accomplishments doing so through various scholarships and awards. She has been ranked among the top young bassists in Illinois as she was named the top bassist in the Honors Big Band at the ILMEA All-State Jazz Division, and has been a recipient of the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award for her musicianship. Marion moved to Chicago in 2020 to pursue a degree in Jazz Studies at the DePaul University School of Music, and to expand her artistry through many forms. Over the years, she has studied with many world-renowned musicians. Some of these musicians are those such as Marlene Rosenberg, Perry Rask, Lenard Simpson, Geof Bradfield, Dana Hall, Scott Hesse, Chris Nolte, Sharel Cassity, Dennis Carroll, Carlos Henriquez, and Clark Sommers. She is currently involved in many groups performing throughout the Chicago music scene, including those under her own name, as well as playing with world-renowned musicians such as Joel Ross. Marion is passionate in all her pursuits within the arts, and working toward many new collaborations.
SISTERS IN JAZZ
PROGRAM COORDINATOR
ELLEN ROWE
ELLEN ROWE
Ellen Rowe, jazz pianist and composer, is currently Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Jazz and Contemporary Improvisation at the University of Michigan. Prior to her appointment in Michigan, she served as Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Connecticut.
Ms. Rowe has performed at jazz clubs and on concert series throughout the U.S., as well as touring in Europe, South Africa and Australia. CDs out under her own name include “Sylvan Way”, “Wishing Well”, “Denali Pass” and “Courage Music.” Her latest project, “Momentum – Portraits of Women In Motion”, featuring Ingrid Jensen, Tia Fuller, Marion Hayden and Allison Miller was released to widespread critical acclaim in January 2019. The “Momentum” band will be featured at the 2022 Jazz Education Network Conference. Also active as a clinician, she has given workshops and master classes at the Melbourne Conservatory, Hochshule fur Musik in Cologne, Grieg Academy in Bergen and the Royal Academy of Music in London, in addition to many appearances as a guest artist at festivals and Universities around the country.
When not leading her own small groups, she is in demand as a sideman, having performed with a wide variety of artists including Kenny Wheeler, Tim Ries, Frank Morgn, Tom Harrell, John Clayton, Ingrid Jensen and Steve Turre. She was also a guest on two installments of Marian McPartland’s “Piano Jazz” on National Public Radio.
Ms. Rowe’s compositions and arrangements have been performed and recorded by jazz ensembles and orchestras around the world, including the Village Vanguard Orchestra, BBC Jazz Orchestra, U.S. Navy Commodores, Berlin and NDR Radio Jazz Orchestras, London Symphony, DIVA and the Perth Jazz Orchestra. Many of these works can be heard on recordings including “Leave It To DIVA”, “The Perth Jazz Orchestra”, “Bingo” (The Bird of Paradise Orchestra) and “I Believe In You” (DIVA). A recipient of jazz ensemble commissions from the Minnesota Band Directors Association, Illinois Music Educators, Lawrence University’s Fred Sturm Jazz Festival, and the Jazz Education Network, her big band compositions are currently published by Sierra Music Publications, Doug Beach Music and Kendor Music.
Having been selected to conduct the NAfME All-Eastern and All-Northwest Jazz Ensembles as well as All-State jazz ensembles throughout the country, she has also been an invited clinician at the National Association for Music Education Eastern Division Convention, International Society for Jazz Composition and Arranging Symposium and Jazz Education Network conferences. She is on the Board of the International Society of Jazz Arrangers and Composers and also serves as the Coordinator for the JEN Sisters In Jazz Collegiate Combo Competition. Other activities include serving as an adjudicator and mentor for the JEN Young Composers Showcase, adjudicating the 2019 Kimmel Center Jazz Residencies and Lincoln Center Ertegun Hall of Fame. She also serves on the faculty of the NJPAC All-Female Jazz Residency in Newark, NJ. In 2017 she was named a UCROSS Composer Fellow and awarded a residency at the Leighton Artist Colony at the Banff Centre for the Arts.
SISTERS IN JAZZ ALUMNAE
- Destiny Diggs-Pinto – Bass
- Kal Ferretti — Trumpet
- Holly Channell – Drumset
- Lana Drincic – Piano
- Charlotte Lang – Saxophone
- Molly Redfield – Bass
- Summer Camargo – Trumpet
- Carmen Murray – Drumset
- Yeeun Kim – Piano
- Staphanie Tateiwa – Saxophone
- Jordyn Davis – Bass
- Minnie Jordan – Violin
- Megan Lock – Drums
- Alexandra Ridout – Trumpet
- Yvonne Rogers – Piano
- Samantha Spear – Sax
- Domi Edson – Bass
- Misaki Nakamichi – Drums
- Maya Keren – Piano
- Kate Williams – Trumpet
- Zahria Sims – Saxophone
- Colleen Clark – Drums
- Sarah Hanahan – Alto Saxophone
- Summer Kodama – Bass
- Marion Powers – Voice
- Franchesca Romero – Piano
- The Jazz Education Network (JEN), founded in 2010, formed the Women in Jazz Committee in 2018, and re-established the Sisters in Jazz Collegiate Combo Competition.
- Ashley Baker – Alto Sax
- Christie Dashiell – Voice
- Judith Goldbach – Bass
- Julia Brav – Piano
- Shirazette Tinnin – Drums
- Chelsea Baratz – Tenor Sax
- Sharel Cassity – Alto, Soprano Sax
- Vanessa McGowan – Bass
- Mika Nishimura- Piano
- Tina Raymond – Drums
- Misty Boyce – Piano
- Caroline Davis – Alto Sax
- Lauren Falls – Bass
- Melissa Gardiner – Trombone
- Lorie Wolf – Drums
- Lakecia Benjamin – Alto Sax
- Jacquelyn Coleman – Trumpet
- Delandria Mills – Flute
- Hanne Pulli – Drums
- Maeve Royce – Bass
- Carmen Staaf – Piano
- Ariel Alexander – Alto, Soprano Sax
- Brenda Earle – Piano
- Maria Joyner – Drums
- Linda Oh – Bass
- Janelle Reichman – Tenor Sax
- Kara Baldus – Piano
- Elizabeth Goodfellow – Drums
- Nicole Johaenntgen – Alto, Soprano Sax
- Jennifer Krupa – Trombone
- Ashley Summers – Bass
- Renee Marie Cruz – Bass
- Alyssa Falk – Drums
- Becky Noble – Alto Sax
- Tineke Postma – Alto Sax
- Daniela Schaechter – Piano
- Airelle Besson – Trumpet
- Laila Biali – Piano
- Karine Chapdelaine – Bass
- Tara Davidson – Alto, Soprano Sax
- Sandra Hempel – Guitar
- Kimberly Thompson – Drums
- Brandi Disterheft – Bass
- Anne Drummond – Flute
- Lisa Kelly Scott – Voice
- Karen Teperberg – Drums
- Chihiro Yamanaka – Piano
- Rosana Calderon Eckert – Voice
- Rachel Eckroth – Piano
- Tia Fuller – Alto Sax
- Karin Harris – Trombone
- Erin Marie Roberts – Bass
- Angie Tabor – Drums
- Sara Caswell – Violin
- Dawn Clement – Piano
- Anat Cohen – Tenor Sax, Clarinet
- Loraine Faina – Drums
- Jodi Proznick – Bass
