Ekep Nkwelle is a 24-year-old, Cameroonian-American, jazz vocalist from Washington, DC, living in New York City. She has trained at the world-renowned institutes of Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Howard University, and The Juilliard School.

Nkwelle is fondly recognized for her role in Howard University’s premier vocal jazz ensemble, Afro Blue, where she was the lead soloist during her four-year tenure, but her collaborations continued after moving from the nation’s capital to “The Big Apple”. She has worked with jazz masters such as Russell Malone, Cyrus Chestnut, Wynton Marsalis, and Peter Washington, as well as young, well-respected musicians such as Emmet Cohen and Endea Owens. She was also featured at Radio City Music Hall with the world-renowned classical pianist, Lang Lang in collaboration with Disney. She has even graced international renowned stages of The Library of Congress, The Kennedy Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and Marian’s Jazzroom to name a few. Furthermore, she has also been a part of several jazz festivals and events including Newport, Montclair, Hudson, and DC jazz festivals.

Nkwelle was recently awarded the 2023 Juilliard Career Advancement Grant bestowed upon her through nomination by jazz master trumpeter, Wynton Marsalis. Additionally, she has performed on NPR’s “Tiny Desk” singing her arrangement of Geri Allen’s “Timeless Portraits & Dreams” in 2022. In this same year went on to work with 3x GRAMMY and Tony award-winner, Dee Dee Bridgewater, in year four of her exclusive, all-women artistic residency, The Woodshed Network.

A part of the promising future of jazz, Ekep Nkwelle is one of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s latest rising stars, and with her artistry, she strives to display her passion for music all around the world.