Cécile McLorin Salvant

Miami-based singer Cécile McLorin Salvant is a rising star, possessed of a remarkable voice and critically acclaimed for her authoritative live performances. In the two short years since releasing her debut record WomanChild on Mack Avenue, her enormous dynamic range, perfect pitch, and supple sense of swing have earned her a GRAMMY nomination and praise from the likes of The New York Times: 'She has a rich and varied tonal palette, exquisite taste in songs and phrasing, and a deep connection to lyrics.' Wynton Marsalis was among the first to take notice - soon after Salvant won the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, he invited her to perform with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. The New York Times proclaimed after her JALC appearance that 'McLorin Salvant has it all - If anyone can extend the lineage of the Big Three - Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, and Ella Fitzgerald - it is this 26-year-old virtuoso.' Salvant closes Duke Performances' fall season with her crackerjack quartet, singing a carefully curated clutch of rare and unrecorded jazz and blues tunes and a sophisticated catalogue of jazz standards.