Nicole Mitchell’s impact on jazz was highlighted in a recent New York Times article “Jazz Has Always Been Protest Music. Can It Meet This Moment?” The article focuses on the role jazz has played in political protest as well as how prominent musicians such as Mitchell are addressing inequities in jazz education. Mitchell notes,

Doctoral candidate and Fulbright Scholar Steven Moon had to cut his research year in Turkey short due to the pandemic, but he has still made significant progress in exploring the intersection of culture and medicine in that country. Moon is studying the role of music in Ottoman healing practices with specific interest in how this approach transcends mind/body dualisms.

Jazz Studies PhD Candidate Ben Barson and his wife and creative partner Gizelxanath Rodriguez have been named Artists in Residence for University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Interdisciplinary Arts Residency Program. Barson and Rodriguez are cofounders of the Afro-Yaqui Music Collective whose work has been recognized nationally by ASCAP, New Music USA, and I Care if You Listen, as well as by Pittsburgh arts organizations, foundations, and media.

Jazz Studies Director Nicole Mitchell returns to the podcast to preview the upcoming We Have Voice Collective Presentation and Concert happening on January 17^th.  For that event she'll be joined by talented New York We Have Voice Collective members María Grand (saxophones), Kavita Shah (vocals), and Fay Victor (vocals) for a discussion panel on Music, Equity and Safe(r) Spaces, followed by a perform

From Roger Zahab, Director of Undergraduate Studies

Our guest for this week’s Music at Pitt Podcast is Nicole Mitchell, world-renowned flutist and composer and the new director of Pitt’s Jazz Studies Program. Nicole joins us to talk about the upcoming 49th Annual Jazz Seminar and Concerts, the Jazz Studies program, her recent creative endeavors, and her favorite things about Pittsburgh.