Known as one of jazz’s most vibrant emerging artists, Endea Owens is a Detroit-raised recording artist, bassist, and composer. She has been mentored by jazz icons the likes of Marcus Belgrave, Rodney Whitaker, and Ron Carter. She has toured and performed with Wynton Marsalis, Jennifer Holliday, Diana Ross, Rhonda Ross, Solange, Jon Batiste, Jazzmeia Horn, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and Cyrus Chestnut, to name a few.

In 2018, Owens graduated from The Juilliard School, and joined the Late Show with Stephen Colbert as a member of the house band, Stay Human, where she remained through Colbert’s final season. Since then, Owens has won an Emmy, Grammy, and a George Foster Peabody Award. Owens’ work has appeared on Jon Batiste’s Grammy Award-winning album We Are, Oscar-nominated film Judas and the Black Messiah, and H.E.R.’s widely acclaimed Super Bowl LV performance.

In 2022, Owens composed an original piece about the life of Ida B. Wells entitled “Ida’s Crusade” for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra’s National Youth Orchestra which was also performed by the NYO Carnegie Hall Orchestra. Owens has written for brands such as Pyer Moss and Glossier. She was the curator for the National Arts Club and also a fellow for “Jazz is: Now!” with the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, where she presented original compositions, curated series, and headlined performances for the 2022–2023 season. Owens released her debut album Feel Good Music in 2023.

^{This performance is supported by Terry Spaeth and Wendy Shannon-Spaeth.}