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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).