Janelle Finton
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- Chicago, IL
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Fascinated by many modes of creativity, Janelle Finton is a trumpeter, vocalist, and composer, who approaches music making and storytelling with wonder. She has played with groups such as the Maria Schneider Orchestra as a featured vocalist, the Grace Fox Big Band, the John Daversa Big Band, the Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra, DIVA Jazz Orchestra, and NYO Jazz at Carnegie Hall, where she toured Europe and Asia with Sean Jones, Dianne Reeves, and Kurt Elling.
As a composer, she has been recognized by Downbeat, the American Composer’s Forum, and is published with Brava Jazz. In 2024, she debuted her folk/jazz/chamber group joygarden, and had her concert band piece Midwest Clinic premiere. In 2025 she was commissioned by Carnegie Hall as an arranger for NYO Jazz, and conducted the premiere at Carnegie, and on tour in Latin America.
As an educator, Janelle is a lifelong learner, and shares this with students through private lessons, jazz combos, and workshops across Chicago, and teaches jazz trumpet and voice instructor for Interlochen Arts Camp. Finton holds a B.M. from the Frost School of Music, and is continuously grateful to be able to share joy with people through her music!