Student 2020 Class > Janelle Finton
Janelle Finton
Janelle Finton is a trumpeter, vocalist, and composer from the Chicago suburbs. She is currently pursuing her undergraduate degree in jazz trumpet performance at the Frost School of Music of the University of Miami where she studies with Brian Lynch.
In high school, Janelle enjoyed being in her school’s bands, orchestras, choirs, and theater, and performed in Europe twice through an exchange with a school in Vienna. She was selected for the Illinois Honors All-State festivals for concert band (2016), jazz band (2017), and orchestra (2018, principal trumpet and composition contest winner). She was in the NAFME All-National Honors Concert Band (2017), and Jazz Band (2018, guest soloist Pharez Whitted). Janelle made her Carnegie Hall debut (guest soloists Jon Faddis and Wycliffe Gordon) with the 2018 and 2019 seasons of NYO Jazz, where she toured Europe and Asia with Sean Jones, Dianne Reeves, and Kurt Elling, working with Etienne Charles and other amazing artists during the program residency. Her Jazz Vocal piece “Right Here” was a winner of the 2019 American Composers Forum’s NextNotes composition awards.
During her first year at Frost, Janelle was in the Studio Jazz Band and Jazz Vocal One, Women’s Jazz Vocal Ensemble (Downbeat Outstanding Performance award 2020), as well as various jazz combos where she performed with John Daversa and Alison Wedding. She has worked with guest artists such as Maria Schnieder, Sheila Jordan, and Gonzalo Rubalcaba. She continues to explore her passion of combining classical, jazz, and other contemporary genres through performance and composition, and aims to share joy with others through her music!
My social media information is
Facebook: @janellefintonmusic
Instagram: @janelle_finton
Youtube: Janelle Finton or direct link- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeG7iF8fEXEizm9mxEVGbKg?view_as=subscriber