Julian Terrell Otis is a genre-spanning vocalist and performance artist engaged in creative, jazz, pop, and contemporary classical musical styles. He is currently devising a series of evening-length performances featuring works by living composers of color, improvisation, electronics and movement. This summer he revived Peter Maxwell Davies’ Eight Songs for a Mad King at the inaugural Bang on a Can All-Stars’ Loud Weekend! All the Pretty Flowers is his first recording project of improvised music and poetry created at the Banff International Jazz and Creative Music Workshop led by Vijay Iyer and Tyshawn Sorey. Julian originated the male soloist role in George E. Lewis’ chamber opera Afterword and has worked with Nicole Mitchell’s Black Earth Ensemble, Fay Victor, Lisa E. Harris, Angel Bat David, Imani Winds, and Renee Baker. Committed to community empowerment he leads an improvised jam for South Side Chicago communities called Self Care = Resistance!
