Alumna Marilyn Crispell '68 receives NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship

Alumna Marilyn Crispell '68 has been selected for an NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship. The NEA began the program in 1982, which selects a number of distinguished artists who have made significant impact on the advancement of jazz music.

Marilyn was born in Philadelphia and grew up in Baltimore where she took piano lessons at the Peabody Institute. She made her debut with her album, Live in Berlin, with violinist Billy Bang, bassist Peter Kowald, and drummer John Betsch. Aside from her solo work, Marilyn has collaborated with many well-known contemporary composers such as Robert Cogan, Pozzi Escot, John Cage, Pauline Oliveros, and Manfred Niehaus. She also played in the NYC Opera’s production of Anthony Davis’ opera, X, in 1986. She received her Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance from NEC in 1968.

When not playing, Marilyn taught workshops and gave lectures at universities and art centers across the globe, including the US, Europe, Canada, and Australia. She is a former Co-Director of the Vancouver Creative Music Institute and faculty member of the Banff Centre's International Workshop in Jazz. Marilyn has also received other awards and fellowship grants from the New York Foundation for the Arts, the Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust, and the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation.

Congratulations, Marilyn!