Tomeka Reid

Cellist and composer Tomeka Reid has become one of the most original voices in contemporary jazz and creative improvised music, recognized in 2022 with a MacArthur Fellowship for expanding the expressive possibilities of the cello in improvisation. She emerged from Chicago's vibrant jazz and AACM-rooted community, performing with the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Anthony Braxton, Roscoe Mitchell, and Nicole Mitchell before building a substantial body of work as a leader. Reid leads the Tomeka Reid Quartet, a longstanding group with guitarist Mary Halvorson, bassist Jason Roebke, and drummer Tomas Fujiwara, and co-leads the string trio Hear in Now with Mazz Swift and Silvia Bolognesi. Born in 1977 and raised outside Washington, D.C., she earned degrees from the University of Maryland, DePaul University, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and founded the Chicago Jazz String Summit. Her work threads composition, improvisation, and a deep engagement with the instrument across a wide range of musical traditions.