Emily Kuhn is a jazz trumpet player based in Chicago, IL, described by the Chicago Jazz Magazine as having "a charismatic style and a sophistication that belies her youth." Originally from Charlottesville, Emily leads two bands: a jazz quintet, which she will bring to Charlottesville for this concert, and a nine piece chamber jazz ensemble, Helios. Outside of these projects, Emily plays regularly with a wide variety of ensembles across the jazz and Latin scenes in Chicago. She has brought her original music to festivals including the Festival of New Trumpet Music, the Museum of Contemporary Art's Tuesdays on the Terrace, and she has performed at the Chicago Jazz Festival and Stanford Jazz Festival among others.
Emily has taught throughout Chicago and nationwide through MUSIC Inc., Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras, and Stanford Jazz Workshop. Emily has a BM and BA in Jazz Trumpet Performance and Environmental Studies from Oberlin. She studied with renowned trumpet players Eddie Henderson, Sean Jones, and John D'earth.
For this special concert, The Emily Kuhn Quintet will be performing new original compositions and music from Kuhn's recent release, "Ghosts of Us." Described as "the kind of lyrical, spacious jazz that draws you deep within its cocoon-like atmosphere" (Matt Collar, All Music), the music draws inspiration from the natural world, science fiction, and the Covid-19 pandemic, meditating on themes of stillness, connection, grief, and hope. The group relies on their strong foundation of musical trust to deftly navigate influences from jazz, rock, chamber music, and Americana.
The night before this concert, Emily will be a guest artist for the JABA Benefit at The Paramount, headlined by her mentor John D'earth. During this residency, Emily will also conduct masterclasses at UVA, Albemarle High School (her Alma Mater), and JMU in Harrisonburg. The Emily Kuhn Quintet features Emily Kuhn (trumpet), Erik Skov (guitar), Meghan Stagl (piano), Kitt Lyles (bass), and Gustavo Cortiñas (drums). "This concert and residency is made possible with the support of Jazz Road, a national initiative of South Arts, which is funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation with additional support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation."
