About this Performance

Born and raised in South Dakota as a first-generation Ugandan and Southern Sudanese, Emmanuel is a New York City based artist who believes that without self-reflection and empathy towards himself and others, the foundation of what makes a truthful artist/human would crumble.

These ideals have enabled Emmanuel to work with artists such as Billy Drummond, Bill Frisell, Terri Lyne Carrington, Chris “Daddy” Dave, Stokley, Dayna Stephens, Aaron Parks, Ambrose Akinmusire, Harish Raghavan, Obed Calvaire, Gerald Clayton, Kendrick Scott, Marta Sanchez, Joe Sanders, Fabian Almazan, Immanuel Wilkins, Anthony Tidd, Kweku Sumbry, Rashaan Carter, Craig Harris, Gilad Hekselmen, John Hébert, Curtis Nowosad, Savannah Harris

Recent artistic endeavors have included making their two-week long debut at the legendary Village Vanguard, playing as a member of The Marcus Gilmore Sextet and recording a live album during their week long residency, as well as playing as a member of Dayna Stephens Quintet at The Village Vanguard the following week, making Emmanuel’s debut at the Village Vanguard an immensely rare circumstance. Emmanuel is also a 2024 recipient of The Jazz Gallery’s prestigious Residency Commission.

Creative Credits

Cécile McLorin Salvant

Curator

Composer, singer, and visual artist, Cécile McLorin Salvant, is passionate about storytelling and exploring connections between vaudeville, blues, folk traditions, theater, jazz, and baroque music. An eclectic curator, unearthing rarely recorded, forgotten songs with strong narratives, power dynamics, twists, and humor once described as “a unique voice supported by an intelligence and full-fledged musicality, which light up every note she sings” by the late, great Jessye Norman. She won the Thelonious Monk competition in 2010 and received Grammy Awards for three consecutive albums: “The Window,” “Dreams and Daggers,” and “For One To Love.” In 2020, she received the MacArthur fellowship and Doris Duke Artist Award. Her debut and follow up Nonesuch Records projects, “Ghost Song” (2022) and “Mélusine” (2023), each received two Grammy nominations. Salvant’s latest work, “Ogresse”, arranged by Darcy James Argue, is a musical fable in the form of a cantata that blends several styles of composition resulting in an expansive sonic landscape.