The Brooklyn Conservatory of Music announced July 10 that it has selected Merikara and alana amore colvin as its 2026–27 Jazz Leaders Fellows, awarding each musician a $12,500 unrestricted fellowship to support their artistic careers.
In addition to the financial award, the fellows will receive free rehearsal space and performance and curatorial opportunities through the Park Slope conservatory during the coming year.
Now in its sixth year, the fellowship supports Black women and Black nonbinary musicians working in jazz and related genres.
BKCM celebrated the new fellows during a reception July 9 at its concert hall in Park Slope. Since the program launched in 2021, the conservatory has selected two artists annually, bringing the total number of fellowship recipients to 12.
Merikara is a contemporary jazz vocalist whose work blends blues, hip-hop, R&B and gospel with jazz traditions while emphasizing community engagement through music education, cultural programming and grassroots initiatives.
Brooklyn-based guitarist, composer and arranger alana amore colvin is known for avant-garde performances rooted in Afro-folkloric traditions and has become a regular presence in the New York City downtown music scene through collaborations with several ensembles and artists.
As part of the fellowship, each recipient will develop and lead a public performance while collaborating with BKCM's Community Music School Jazz Program to engage students through educational programming.
The fellowship was conceived by former BKCM board member Daniel DiPietro and is supported by Daniel and Alexis DiPietro and the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation.
