This concert features Laila Smith, an exceptional young singer and composer from San Jose, California who’s been gaining great attention as she emerges on the jazz scene. She will be performing jazz standards, as well as compositions of her own.

Just eighteen years old, Laila has not wasted any time pursuing her passion for music, nor has the world failed to take note of her phenomenal ability. She began playing piano at age four. She made her first appearance at the San Jose Jazz Festival at age six and has performed there every year since. She is the winner of six DownBeat awards, two ASCAP Young Composer Awards, sang first soprano in the GRAMMY Jazz Choir and was the vocalist for the Monterey Jazz Next Generation Orchestra (2012) and the SFJAZZ High School All-Star Orchestra (2010-2012). In the fall she will attend a joint degree program at Harvard University and the New England Conservatory of Music.

Often the performance opportunities that are given to exceptional young artists showcase their ability to impress rather than to really communicate. This concert will be the opposite—a relaxed, intimate setting where creativity can flow and we’ll have the chance to see extraordinary talent in the process of development.