Local musicians of Caribbean heritage win prestigious jazz fellowship

Two Brooklyn-born musicians, Goussy Célestin and Keyanna “Key” Hutchinson, are the  2024-25 Jazz Leaders Fellows for the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music (BKCM).  They will receive a $12,500 unrestricted award for their musical endeavors, in addition to free rehearsal space, performance and curatorial opportunities. 

Now in its fourth year, Brooklyn Conservatory of Music’s Jazz Leaders Fellowship provides resources to Black women and Black non-binary musicians to further develop their craft and pursue projects that advance their careers. 

Fay Victor, Chair of the Jazz Leaders Fellowship Committee, has been involved with the program since its inception in 2020.

 “I was asked by the BKCM to put together an advisory Board for what has become the Jazz Leaders Fellowship. Once I put the Board together we set out to define, alongside the conservatory, what were the goals of the Fellowship, how should applicants sign up and what were the criteria that made sense and so much more,” she said.

Victor added that her “decision to become a musician and let the music actually guide my process as an artist has facilitated me with connecting to many types of communities.” 

Group shot (Left to Right) – Key Hutchinson (2024-25), Miss Olithea (2023-24), Goussy Célestin (2024-25), Melanie Charles (2023-24), Jordyn Davis (2022-23) and Jasmine Wilson (2021-22).Photo: Jaznina Santiago

Célestin is a Haitian-American pianist, composer, vocalist, dancer, writer, and arranger. Hutchinson is a guitarist, composer, and producer from Brooklyn whose multivalent influences can be traced to her Caribbean lineage, her love for popular music, her conservatory training, and a remarkable musical career supporting performers in the fields of Pop, R&B, jazz, and other experimental genres. 

As a local resident and native, Hutchinson said it’s an honor to receive this award because she has “an opportunity to help create a positive impact on the next generations of musicians and artists in a community that nurtured my passion for the arts.” 

Goussy shared the same sentiment, saying,  “I’m excited about the collaborations that will come to fruition through this fellowship reverberating through the community of students, fellow educators, colleagues and performers through this tenure. I’m also thrilled that the award will help to fund my current recording project in progress.” 

Hutchinson said, “My most memorable experience thus far has to be receiving the Jazz Fellows Leadership award. As an applicant and semi finalist just a year ago, winning this time around has reaffirmed an ability to persevere which has been empowering for my goals and ultimately my self determination.

 Hutchinson wants the program to impact the community, highlighting the importance of the process of creation. “Creativity allows us to share the depth and essence of who we are — it is my hope to inspire and unravel the telling of future stories,” she stated. 

Hutchinson wants  to have a legacy in life focused on the value of the spirit of authenticity. To her, it’s essential to “value what it requires to protect and cultivate that because I believe we are all uniquely gifted and we must reject the beliefs that create blockages in order to fully bask in the joy that being ourselves brings us, especially in the pursuit of the arts.” 

To stay updated on the work of BKCM, those interested can follow the Conservatory on its social media platforms, which can be found on their website: https://bkcm.org/. They can also find all the ways to support BKCM here: https://bkcm.org/givemusic/.