Tomeka Reid
Jazz
Tomeka Reid is an American cellist, composer, improviser, bandleader and educator whose work has redefined the expressive boundaries of jazz and improvised string music. Born in Washington, D.C., Reid began playing cello in elementary school and went on to study at the University of Maryland (B.M.), DePaul University (M.M.), and ultimately earned her DMA in jazz studies from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2017. In the early 2000s, Reid became a vital presence in Chicago’s experimental jazz community. She has performed and recorded with legendary figures and ensembles including Anthony Braxton, Roscoe Mitchell and the Art Ensemble of Chicago, as well as with the next generation of innovators such as Nicole Mitchell and Mike Reed.
As a leader, Reid launched the Tomeka Reid Quartet, whose 2019 album "Old New" earned praises for its bold blend of post-bop, free jazz and minimalism. In 2024 she released "3+3," her most ambitious quartet project to date. In 2013 she founded the Chicago Jazz String Summit, a festival celebrating string instruments in improvisational jazz, and continues to champion strings in new jazz forms. That same spirit drives her large-ensemble ventures such as the Tomeka Reid Stringtet, a 15-member and conductor ensemble improvising chamber orchestra that blends classical strings, percussion and jazz sensibilities.
Her work has earned coveted honors, including the 2022 MacArthur Fellowship, the Herb Alpert Award in the Arts and a 2021 United States Artists Fellowship. From 2023 to 2025, she joined the Department of Music at Dartmouth College as a visiting Roth scholar, and was a visiting professor and artist in residence. In 2026, she released her fourth and latest album, "Dance! Skip! Hop!" which received acclaim for its remarkable versatility and rich musicality. Tomeka Reid’s artistry bridges classical training, diasporic musical traditions and avant-gardist improvisation, establishing the cello not only as a vehicle for classical music, but as a vital instrument in contemporary, boundary-pushing jazz.
