New Orleans jazz siren Quiana Lynell has taken first place in the globally recognized 6th Annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. The event, which took place on Sunday, November 12 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, awarded Ms. Lynell the SASSY Award and an exclusive recording contract offer through Concord Records, plus a $5,000 cash award

Lynell was among five finalists who performed before a live audience at NJPAC’s Victoria Theater and a judging panel consisting of award-winning vocalists Vanessa Rubin, Ann Hampton Callaway, and Will Downing; WBGO radio personality Gary Walker; and, bandleader and composer TS Monk.
Through three public rounds, public voting on the IndabaMusic.com, the field was narrowed to the five vocalists. Contestants were judged on vocal quality, musicality, technique, performance, individuality, artistic interpretation, and the ability to swing, with more than 600 submissions from men and women around the world.

Having studied vocal performance at Louisiana State University, Lynell has since worked alongside masters of jazz and the American Songbook, such as Terence Blanchard, the Preservation Hall Band and Aaron Neville.

The second-place winner of the competition was Tatiana “LadyMay” Mayfield, who was awarded a $1,500 cash prize, and the third-place winner was Christine Fawson who received $500.

Preservation Hall Salon Series: The Ella Fitzgerald Songbook with Quiana Lynell and the Preservation All-Stars has been rescheduled for Saturday, November 25th at 1p.m.