Esperanza Spalding Opens for Barack Obama's Nobel Prize Speech

Bringing new life to the usually tired reception ceremony, 25 year-old jazz bassist and singer Esperanza Spalding represented a "new type of music" for "a new type of laureate" performing after Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech according to Nobel Committee Secretary Geir Lundestad.

Spalding, considered a jazz prodigy, was hand-chosen to perform following the President's Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech. At merely 25 year-old, Spalding has already been hailed as a "charismatic musician handily demonstrating her talents as a virtuoso instrumentalist, gifted multilingual vocalist, and potent songwriter." Bringing "a new type of music" to the Nobel reception, her ethnic heritage makes her an apro pos choice. representing the diversity of the committee coming from Welsh, Hispanic, Native American, and African roots.

In addition to her two albums, Spalding became one of the youngest-ever faculty members at the Berkelee College of Music at the age of 20. 

Videos

Esperanza Spalding - Live in Copenhagen

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sourced by Blaine Metzgar