

#Esperanza spalding zip free#
She dedicated Land of the Free to Innocence Project client Cornelius Dupree, who was exonerated after spending more than 30 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. I stand with the Innocence Project and am grateful for the opportunity to be an ambassador for their work and mission.”Ī lot of Spalding’s music takes on a keen social consciousness. “I applaud the determination and courage of their exonerees, legal team, scientists, advocates, and administrative team. “The good people working through and with the Innocence Project are truly at the frontlines of transforming our broken justice system,” said Spalding.

Pursuing her passion certainly paid off, as she became the first “jazz artist” to win the Grammy Award for Best New Artist-one of four total Grammys. Spalding, who was able to reproduce Beethoven by ear as a youngster on her family’s piano, credits watching classical cellist Yo-Yo Ma perform on an episode of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood as what inspired her to pursue music. She continues to stand with us in our work to free wrongfully convicted individuals and bring much-needed reform to a broken criminal justice system.” “We are honored to have a relationship with Spalding spanning several years and excited she has officially joined our roster of Ambassadors. “Spalding is a bona fide music sensation,” said Maddy deLone, executive director of the Innocence Project, which is affiliated with Cardozo School of Law. Notably, Berklee hired Spalding almost immediately after she graduated, making her one of the youngest-ever instructors in the institution’s history-at the age of 20. Her musical talents earned her scholarships to Portland State University and the Berklee College of Music. Her genre of music embraces jazz, jazz fusion, bossa nova, neo soul, funk, and R&B, along with influences from Brazilian music. She was later both self-taught and trained on several instruments, including the bass and guitar. Grammy-Award-winning bassist, genre-bending composer, vocalist, bandleader, educator and activist Esperanza Spalding is now an Innocence Ambassador!īorn in Portland, Oregon, this musical genius began playing violin in the Chamber Music Society of Oregon at the tender age of five.
