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Cleveland Watkiss

*Multidisciplinary Artist* *Ivor Novello Award Winner*

About Me

Cleveland Watkiss MBE is a African/Caribbean British born Multidisciplinary creative artist, virtuoso vocal explorer, actor and composer, and voice professor at Trinity Laban Music And Dance Conservatoire.

He was the winner of the London Jazz Awards for Best Vocalist in 2010 and was voted Wire/Guardian Jazz Awards best vocalist for three consecutive years. In 2017 at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards he received Jazz Vocalist of the Year award. He is also a nominee of the MOBO Awards in Best Jazz Act category. For his services to music Watkiss was appointed an MBE in 2018 New Year Honours.

Watkiss was cast in the starring role in Julian Joseph and Mike Phillips's ground-breaking jazz operas Bridgetower[8] and Shadowball.[9] Joseph has said of Watkiss: “He has that incredible charisma, that wonderful voice. He has the jazz sound and the power of an opera singer. More recently in 2021,Watkiss received An Ivor Novello Award for *INNOVATION*

Watkiss has performed in many of the major concert halls, festivals and clubs around the world with “VocalSuite”, a solo voice performance, and with his new Quartet: “Cdubya Qrt”, accompanied by Cassius Cobbson (drums), Melenik Claffey (bass) and Tom O’Brien (keys/piano).