2023 Wellington Jazz Festival performer Cécile McLorin Salvant looking directly at the camera. She has bright green and blue hair with exotic styling and thing plaits hanging down her face.

Cécile McLorin Salvant

A critically acclaimed jazz vocalist with a magnetic stage presence.

Cécile McLorin Salvant is a composer, singer, and visual artist. She has developed a passion for storytelling and finding the connections between blues, theatre, jazz, baroque, and folkloric music. Internationally recognised, she is a three-time Grammy award-winner. The vocalist returns to Wellington for the first time since her sold-out show at the 2018 New Zealand Festival. This time, she’s in the capital for the Wellington Jazz Festival.

Accompanied by her quartet, Salvant presents repertoire from her acclaimed albums ‘Ghost Song’ and ‘Mélusine’. She is an eclectic curator, unearthing rarely recorded songs. Many have strong narratives, interesting power dynamics, unexpected twists, and humour.

The New Yorker described her as having “perfect intonation, elastic rhythm, and an operatic range”. She possesses a magnetic stage presence and a rich, velvet tone. Salvant will create an unforgettable night for audiences at the Michael Fowler Centre.