For over a decade the Doris Duke Foundation Artist Awards have thrived on supporting the arts in an innovative and progressive manner. A mission that is truly jazz without boundaries.
This year, two of the Doris Duke Artist award recipients are two KMHD stalwarts, Kassa Overall and Brandee Younger.
The award comes with an unrestricted cash prize of $525,000 and honor up to six outstanding individuals working in the fields of contemporary dance, jazz and theater.
Also included is an incentive of up to $25,000 to save for retirement, as well as professional development, financial planning, management services, networking, and performance opportunities.
Drummer, producer, rapper and artist, Kassa Overall has been in heavy rotation on KMHD since his 2019 release “Go Get Ice Cream and Listen to Jazz.”
Brandee Younger is the premiere harpist in the world of jazz today, and her collaborative efforts have pushed her sound forward while revitalizing the harp instrument to levels not seen since Alice Coltrane.
The Doris Duke Artist award exemplifies the foundation’s belief in the singular role that artists play in enriching life and society. Since 2012, the awards have distributed more than $40 million to artists. Award money is given to each winner over the course of seven years, meaning that in any given year, the foundation is directly supporting 42 individual artists.