Camila Mennitte 

Camila was born and raised in Córdoba, Argentina and currently resides in Chicago, IL. In 2021, she was one of two recipients for the prestigious Jazz Links Fellowship Program granted by the Jazz Institute of Chicago. In 2022, she was chosen as one of the eight finalists for the Luminarts Jazz Fellowship Competition. In 2018, Camila was chosen as a finalist for the Herbie Hancock Institute. Ms. Mennitte was also granted the Mary Jo Papich Women in Jazz Scholarship at the 2019 JEN Conference in New Orleans. 

 

Camila has performed with Geoffrey Keezer, Sharel Cassity, Sara Caswell, Walter Smith III, John Raymond, Greg Ward, Bob Bowman, Gillian Margot, Alexa Tarantino, Matt Harris, Lauren Savien and Ryan Kisor among others. In Chicago, Camila regularly plays in bands lead by Thaddeus Tukes, Marlene Rosenberg, Arman Sangalang,  Zachary Finnegan, Lara Driscoll, Christy Bennett, Julia Danielle and Jack Sundstrom among others. She has shared the stage with Ethan Philion, Victor García, Meghan Stagl, Matt Ulery, Dave Miller, and other renowned players.

 

Camila was a recipient, (along with the UWEC Jazz Band), of two Downbeat Awards for Best Undergraduate College Big Band, (2017- 2018). She curated a presentation on Candombe Drumming featuring Daniel 'Tatita' Marquez at PASIC in 2016. She has been awarded multiple scholarships from the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire and Indiana University, including a full sponsorship for her undergraduate studies and a Teaching Assistantship for her graduate studies. 

 

In academic research, Camila was selected to do two different grants during her time at UWEC. The first one was named, “Exploring Primary Sources in Pre-Feminist Music History: Documenting Mid-Century Contributions to the American All Female Big Band Tradition.” This Grant involved reading letters from the 1940s and 1950s written by trombonist, Eleanor Jones, from the first and only female Marine Band and was overseen by Dr. Ryan Jones . The second grant that she was selected for was a Diversity Mentoring grant named, “Assessment of Teaching Techniques for Candombe in a Juvenile Detention Center,” under the tutelage of Dr. Lee Anna Rasar, (UWEC). This grant involved teaching Candombe drumming to juvenile detainees in Eau Claire, WI. 

 

In terms of education, Camila has always been highly involved in teaching in many different settings. Camila held a teaching position at the Advanced Arts Program until 2021, an arts program free to all Chicago Public School students that provides AP credit. Ms. Mennitte held a private studio at the Jacobs School of Music through her TA drum set position. She has also volunteered and taught extensively at summer camps such as Shell Lake Arts Center. She has additionally taught extensive master classes as a guest artist, adjudicated at jazz festivals and taught private lessons. She currently has her own private drum studio while she freelances in Chicago, IL.

 

Camila has been mentored by a variety of artists and master teachers through the course of her education. Some of them include Matt Ulery, Katie Ernst, Greg Ward, Steve Houghton, John Raymond, Bob Baca, Dr. Brian Claxton, Dr. Jeff Crowell, German Siman, Sergio Verdinelli, Eloy Michelini, Dr. Michael Shults, Steve Zenz, and Ron Keezer.