bio

Jillian Grace is a versatile artist, educator, and musician from Cleveland, OH. Her passion lies at the intersection of Black American Music, performance, and academia as a vehicle for storytelling and an offering of Black Femme Joy and interconnectedness.

Grace earned her Bachelor's in Jazz Voice Performance from Howard University in 2018, where she was a member of the premier vocal Jazz group Afro Blue. She completed her Master of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music in May 2022, with a focus that was consistent with her undergraduate studies. Throughout her academic tutelage, Grace was mentored and taught by musical heavyweights Connaitre Miller, Cyrus Chestnut, Buster Williams, Damien Sneed, Jean Baylor, Chris Rosenburg, and Marc Cary.

In July 2021, Grace launched Link In The Chain, a podcast exploring the depth of Hip Hop, its impact on culture, and the influence and borrowing from other genres of Black American Music. This work was a rich journey into history, analysis, and art. This venture and her research led her to academia. In 2022, Grace participated in the first anechoic Jazz recording in Aachen, Germany. Grace currently serves as an Adjunct Lecturer at Iona University in New Rochelle, New York.

Today, Grace's offerings center performances highlighting these intersections of research, musical performance, and various subgenres of Black American Music. She can be seen collaborating with Joy Guidry, The Soapbox Presents, Damien Sneed, and many more. Grace has been acknowledged as a semi-finalist for the 2024 Next Jazz Legacy. Her debut project, The Altar I Made For You, will be released in 2024, promising to be a significant addition to her already impressive body of work. Grace's daily efforts are shaping a distinctive path for herself and the community she represents.