Armed with a provocative, whiskey-soaked tone, jazz vocalist MICHELLE
WALKER IS A CHARISMATIC SINGER THAT USES AN ARTFUL BLEND OF BLUES,
bebop, swing and soul with playful rhythmic expressiveness. Based in
New York City, she bends the lines and pushes the boundaries of jazz
vocal art. With rich colors and adventurous flexibility, she moves
easily from a dark, deep tone to a mid-range, swinging lilt. MICHELLE
IS VERY VERSATILE AND BLESSED WITH A BEAUTIFULLY DISTINCTIVE VOICE.
She has a refreshing approach to arranging and interpreting often
easily recognizable contemporary songs.
“[Walker]…has a soul-comforting allure…”
– THE WASHINGTON POST
“Extraordinary Musicality…”
- Dave Nathan- ALL ABOUT JAZZ
Michelle studied Economics and Public Policy at American University.
She also studied classical voice at the University of Maryland and as
well as the Amsterdam Music Conservatory in Holland and the Stanford
Jazz in Palo Alto, CA. Michelle was the first vocalist asked to
perform at the “Hot Jazz” Concert Series, a tour across Israel,
which featured jazz veterans Kenny Werner, Eric Alexander, Peter
Bernstein, David Hazeltine and Jimmy Greene. Walker has performed
throughout US, Canada, Russia, Israel England, Holland, Southeast Asia
and most recently at Java Jazz Festival in Indonesia.
Michelle has received a Washington Area Musician Association (WAMA)
Award nomination for Best Jazz, Best Debut and Best Independent Jazz
Vocal album of the year. She was also a finalist for the Jazz Mobile
Vocal competition. She currently resides in New York City performing
full time, teaching as the Vocal Instructor for New York Jazz Workshop
and is the Director of the Jazz Voice Lab. Michelle has served on the
Executive Board for the DC Chapter of the International Association of
Jazz Educators (IAJE) and currently serves on the Executive Board for
The New York Music Institute (NYMI), working to serve underprivileged
communities for lessons, instruments and access to higher learning
through outreach programs and master classes.
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12/02/2026 Last update