Emma Lee Aboukasm is an award-winning, Detroit-based recording artist, vocalist, pianist, and composer. Educated in classical and jazz music at the University of Michigan, she is now performing everywhere in Detroit, including intimate venues like the Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe to expansive ones like the Detroit Jazz Festival.
Recently, Emmalee co-produced her debut album Rise To It feat. Scott Gwinnell on piano, Marion Hayden on bass, Sean Dobbins on drums and Tristan Cappel on alto sax. The album contains jazz standards and original compositions by Emmalee.
Aboukasm won the Youth Vocal Jazz competition in Detroit, MI in 2014. In 2015, she made it to the top 5 finalists out of 2,000 applications worldwide in the International Sarah Vaughan Vocal Jazz Competition. She performed for a panel of 5 judges including Christian McBride and Cyrille Aimée and played music from her CD on WGB0 radio in Newark, NJ. She currently resides at the University of Michigan until she completes her undergraduate degree in jazz studies in 2018.