Leeds jazz singer Lucy-Anne Daniels has been named among the 11 semi-finalists for the 2026 Herbie Hancock Institute International Jazz Vocals Competition.
For the first time, the event will be held outside the United States, with the semi-finals and final taking place in Paris on 10 and 11 October.
Six of the 11 semi-finalists hail from places outside the US, making this the most international group in the competition’s history.
The other semi-finalists are Joie Bianco of Staten Island, New York, who has performed with Emmet Cohen; Paris based vocalist, composer and arranger Anouk Chemla, who was selected for the Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead programme in 2025; Georgia Heers of South Carolina, who appeared as Ella in George Clooney’s 2025 Broadway production of Good Night, and Good Luck; Australian vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Courteney Hooper; Houston vocalist Kate Kortum, winner of the 2025 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition; Slovakian vocalist Kristin Lash; Zhenxuan “Jimmy” Lin of Guangzhou, China; French vocalist Malou Oheix; Miami based Ashley Pezzotti; and Tawanda Suessbrich-Joaquim of Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Daniels, 23, grew up singing gospel and jazz, was a pupil of the Grammar School at Leeds, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in jazz from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. In 2025 she won the Tina May Young Jazz Musician Award, also taking the audience award.
She has since performed with the BBC Orchestra and appeared at the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in a programme celebrating Sarah Vaughan’s centennial. And she has also worked with NYJO (National Youth Jazz Orchestra) as a composer and vocals musical director touring their celebration of the music of Amy Winehouse.
The semi-final takes place on Saturday 10 October, with each vocalist performing a 15-minute set of three songs including one non-jazz work. They will be accompanied by Carmen Staaf on piano, Ben Williams on bass and Kendrick Scott on drums. The judging panel comprises Patti Austin, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Roberta Gambarini, Gretchen Parlato and Gregory Porter.
Three finalists will be selected for the final on Sunday 11 October. The competition carries more than $100,000 in scholarships and prizes including a $50,000 first prize, $25,000 for second place and $10,000 for third.
– Read more at the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz website
