La Jolla Music Society
Shenel Johns
“History in the making”
— The Boston Globe
Shenel Johns is a dynamic jazz musician whose captivating stage presence and impressive vocal range are rooted in her early exposure to reggae and gospel. A graduate of the Hartt School, where she received mentorship from Jackie McLean’s esteemed alumni, Johns passionately shares her musical gifts globally, mentoring young artists and performing in residencies from Shanghai to Mexico. Winner of the Riga Jazz Stage Vocal Competition, she has collaborated with jazz luminaries like Wynton Marsalis and Damien Sneed, seamlessly blending traditional gospel, jazz, and diasporic influences in renowned venues and festivals worldwide, including recent performances with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and in tribute to Max Roach.