An inventive tenor saxophonist, vocalist, composer and rising standard bearer of the jazz tradition will visit the Michigan State University College of Music for a weeklong residency of teaching, touring, and performing state-wide.

Camille Thurman will be at MSU from February 27–March 5 to mentor students through the MSU Federal Credit Union Jazz Artist in Residence Program, now in its 10th season. While in residence, Thurman will instruct and perform during a seven-day gig packed with workshops and campus concerts. Thurman will also hit the road with MSU’s Jazz Orchestra I to visit music and jazz programs at public schools and academies in Rockford, Oxford, and Detroit. 

“Camille is deeply committed to keeping the jazz tradition alive and well through her contributions to jazz and appreciation of the art form,” said Walter Blanding, assistant professor of jazz saxophone in the MSU Department of Jazz Studies. “For her, music is its reward, and she’s made it a mission to spread a love of jazz through her rich performances and to inspire the next generation of jazz artists. She’s an exceptional, multi-dimensional artist who will add to the ongoing legacy of the MSU Federal Credit Union’s Jazz Artist in Residence program.”

Camille Thurman is a composer, multi-instrumentalist, and vocalist, and she is making her own dynamic contribution to the legacy of jazz while also paying tribute to its heroes. Described as “fluid and powerful on the tenor saxophone and highly inventive as a vocalist,” she also plays bass clarinet, flute, and piccolo trumpet. Her rich sax sound has been compared to Joe Henderson and Dexter Gordon, while her vocal approach has been classified alongside those of Ella Fitzgerald and Betty Carter. Thurman has shared stages with such jazz and R&B luminaries as George Coleman, Roy Haynes, Dianne Reeves, Wynton Marsalis, The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Kenny Barron, Harry Connick Jr., Jon Batiste, Audra MacDonald, and many other jazz greats. A New York City native, Thurman is a two-time winner of the ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composers Award and a winner of the Fulbright Scholars Cultural Ambassador Grant, among other honors. She has four full-length recordings as a leader to her credit.

The dynamic series of working musicians, educators and composers for the 2022-23 Jazz Artists in Residence season supported by the MSUFCU includes artists Carmen Bradford, vocals; Adrian Mears, trombone; Bruce Forman, guitar; and Camille Thurman, saxophone. Launched in 2013, the pioneering residency program imports high-level talent to spend a week teaching and performing with MSU jazz studies and K-12 students at schools and academies across the state. Coordinated by the MSU College of Music and supported by a $1 million endowment by MSUFCU, the program follows the jazz tradition of established musicians passing on their knowledge to aspiring musicians, while often enriching resource-strapped jazz programs in urban and rural communities.

Thurman will cap her week-long residency with a performance featuring MSU Jazz Orchestras I, II and III on Friday, March 3, 8 p.m. Fairchild Theatre, in the MSU Auditorium. Reserved seating tickets are $17 for adults, $15 for seniors (age 60 and older) and $7 for students. Information on these and other concerts, as well as ticket can be found on the MSU College of Music web site.

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Jazz Artist in Residence
Residency Schedule Overview
Camille Thurman, saxophone, February 27-March 5, 2023
For a full bio, visit: https://www.camillethurmanmusic.com/bio

Camille Thurman is a composer, multi-instrumentalist, and vocalist, and she is making her own dynamic contribution to the legacy of jazz while also paying tribute to its heroes. Described as “fluid and powerful on the tenor saxophone and highly inventive as a vocalist,” she also plays bass clarinet, flute, and piccolo. A New York City native, Thurman is a two-time winner of the ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composers Award and a winner of the Fulbright Scholars Cultural Ambassador Grant, among other honors.

• Monday, Feb. 27, East Lansing, Mich. Blue Mondays, MSU Federal Credit Union, doors open at 5 p.m. with a performance start time of 6 p.m. (limited seating, RSVP required)
• Tuesday, Feb. 28, Workshops and rehearsals
• Wednesday, March 1, MSU Community Music School-Detroit with MSU Jazz Orchestra I, 6 p.m. showtime.
• Thursday, March 2, Oxford High School with MSU Jazz Orchestra I, 7 p.m. showtime.
• Friday, March 3, East Lansing, Mich. Masterclass and performance at MSU Fairchild Theatre with MSU Jazz Orchestras, 8 p.m. showtime
• Saturday, March 4, Carr Center with MSU Jazz Orchestra I, 7:30 p.m. showtime
• Sunday, March 5, Rockford and Northview Heights High Schools with MSU Jazz Orchestra I, 4 p.m. showtime

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Press materials

View or download the press release (PDF)
Contact Michael Sundermann, 517-353-2043, sunderm7@msu.edu 

Photography and graphic downloads

The final guest of the MSUFCU Jazz Artist in Residence this season presents saxophonist, composer, and vocalist Camille Thurman.

       
In addition to performing on the saxophone, Thurman also plays bass clarinet, flute, and piccolo trumpet.