Photo: Greg Pisula
Emily Kuhn is a jazz trumpet player based in Chicago, IL, described by the Chicago Jazz Magazine as having “a charismatic style and a sophistication that belies her youth.” Originally from Charlottesville, VA, Emily has made a name for herself as an active bandleader, sidewoman, composer, and educator. She released her debut album, Sky Stories, via BACE Records on October 30, 2020, to numerous accolades. She was named a Luminarts Fellow in Jazz in 2020, and received a nomination for “Best Jazz Musician” in the Chicago Reader’s 2020 end-of-year poll. Her sophomore album, "Ghosts of Us," will be released in June 2023 via BACE Records.
Emily leads two bands: a jazz quintet and a nine-piece chamber jazz ensemble, Helios. Outside of these projects, Emily plays regularly with a wide variety of ensembles across the jazz and Latin scenes in Chicago, including Latin fusion band Son Monarcas, Kitt Lyles’ Real Talk Collective, Gustavo Cortiñas’ Kind Regards, Sam Pilnick’s Nonet Project, Erik Skov’s Liminality, John Dorhauer’s Heisenberg Uncertainty Players, and Christy Bennett's Fumée. She has brought her original music to festivals including Hey Nonny’s Women’s Jazz Festival, the Festival of New Trumpet Music, the MCA's Tuesdays on the Terrace, and the Chicago Park District's Night Out in the Parks series, and she has performed at the Chicago Jazz Festival and Stanford Jazz Festival among others. Emily is the program director for MUSIC Inc., which provides free music programming for students on the West Side of Chicago, and has taught throughout Chicago and nationwide through the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras, and Stanford Jazz Workshop.
Emily has a BM and BA in Jazz Trumpet Performance and Environmental Studies from Oberlin. She has studied with renowned trumpet players Eddie Henderson, Sean Jones, John D’earth, and John Henes.