LENORA ZENZALAI HELM

LENORA ZENZALAI HELM, jazz vocal musician, composer, lyricist, arranger, teaching artist, former U.S. Jazz Ambassador (1998-99) and MacDowell Colony Composer Fellow is a native of Chicago, Illinois. She was the first African-American woman to graduate from Berklee College of Music with a B.M. in Film Music Scoring/Voice, a degree she earned in just three years. Helm earned her Master of Music degree in Jazz Performance from East Carolina University in Greenville, NC, and in doing so, an induction into the prestigious music honor society, Pi Kappa Lambda and the Golden Key International Honor Society for academic excellence. Additionally, Helm is the first African-American woman to be awarded the Chamber Music America/Doris Duke New Works: Creation and Presentation award for jazz composers. Helm’s work as a leading jazz vocal musician earned her the accolade “…the voice of her generation...” from Jazziz Magazine. She just released her sixth solo recording in October, read more...