Endea Owens

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. Since then, Owens has won an Emmy, GRAMMY Award, and a George Foster Peabody Award. Her work has appeared on Jon Batiste’s GRAMMY Award-winning album We Are, the Oscar-nominated film Judas and the Black Messiah,and H.E.R’s widely acclaimed Super Bowl LV performance.

Owens has a true passion for philanthropy and teaching. She has taught students across the United States, South America, and Europe. In 2020, she founded The Community Cookout, a nonprofit organization birthed out of the Covid-19 pandemic that provides meals and music to underserved neighborhoods worldwide. To date, Owens’ organization has helped feed over 6,000 people.

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 and was also performed by the NYO Carnegie Hall Orchestra. Owens has written for brands such as Pyer Moss and Glossier. She also premiered a newly commissioned work with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra as the 2023 MAC Music Innovator with the organization.

In addition to her work with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Owens is the curator for the National Arts Club and also a fellow for “Jazzis Now!” with the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, where she presents original compositions, curates series, and headlines performances for the 2022-2023 season. Owens’ debut album Feel Good Music was released this past September.