Emerson/Harris Jazz Masterclass: Orlando Watson, poet/spoken word artist/recording artist

Orlando Watson is an emerging poet who has released two projects titled Everything’s Personal(2017) and Corner Stories(2021), which both cracked iTunes top #20 R&B/Soul charts, catapulting him to open for Lalah Hathaway and Chantae Cann’s respective tours. Watson has been privileged to record or perform with Emmy, Oscar and Grammy winners such as: Terence Blanchard, Keyon Harrold, John Clayton, and Braxton Cook to name a few. In 2019 Watson was selected as one of the top 8 national finalists to compete at the “Jazz in the Gardens” poetry slam in Miami, Florida and can also heard on several Jazz and R&B albums from notableartists. As an entertainment executive, Watson served as the Associate Director of the Tri-C Jazz Fest in Cleveland, Ohio from 2019-2022 and currently serves as the Senior Director of Programming at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center wherehe manages the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival and founded the Hooks & Phonics Festival in 2024 to celebrate the rich history of Hip-Hop culture.