(NEWARK, NJ) -- New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) has announced the top five finalists of the 14th annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. Pulled from almost 200 entrants from 27 different countries, these gifted young singers represent the next generation of great jazz vocalists. The top five finalists are: Diamond Franklin (Philadelphia, PA), Candace Jones (Hollywood, FL), Katie Kortum (New York City), Julia Moscardini (Buenos Aires, Argentina), and Emma Smith (London, England).
On November 23, 2025, the top five finalists will compete in the iconic NJPAC stage in front of a live audience and before a distinguished panel of judges including TONY-nominated singer/lyricist Ann Hampton Callaway, GRAMMY®-nominated trumpeter Jon Faddis, GRAMMY®-nominated jazz vocalist Nnenna Freelon, GRAMMY® Award-winning bassist and Artistic Advisor for Jazz Programming at NJPAC Christian McBride, and founding member of The Manhattan Transfer and co-host of WBGO Radio's Singers Unlimited, vocalist Janis Siegel.
Gifted young contestants from around the world are evaluated on vocal quality, musicality, technique, performance, individuality, artistic interpretation, and ability to swing. Hosted by WBGO Radio's Gary Walker, this special event will also include performances by the 2023 winner of the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition Tyreek McDole. The first-prize winner of The SASSY Awards will receive a $5,000 cash award, second-place $1,500, and third-place $500.
The Sarah Vaughan International Vocal Competition, also known as "The SASSY Awards," has become one of the top annual vocal competitions in jazz. The competition recalls the humble beginnings of legendary jazz singer/NEA Jazz Master Sarah Vaughan (1924-1990) who, back in 1942, was a Newark teenager and winner of an amateur singing contest at the Apollo Theater. That memorable night helped launch the lifework of one of the most successful, influential jazz vocalists in the history of American music.
Open to singers over the age of 18, of all genders and nationalities, from anywhere in the world, and not signed by a major label, The SASSY Awards offers outstanding jazz singers a one-of-a-kind platform for embarking on a career in the music business—and offers audience members a chance to discover the jazz stars of tomorrow.
Past winners include Cyrille Aimée, Jazzmeia Horn, Ashleigh Smith, Arianna Neikrug, Deelee Dubé, Quiana Lynell, Laurin Talese, Samara Joy (GRAMMY® Award winner for Best New Artist 2023), Gabrielle Cavassa and Tawanda Suessbrich-Joaquim, G. Thomas Allen, Lucía Gutiérrez Rebolloso, Tyreek McDole, and April May Webb.
About Top Five Finalists
Diamond Franklin is a classically-trained mezzo-soprano vocalist, actor, songwriter and recording artist specializing in jazz, opera, musical theater, R&B and gospel music. A Philadelphia native, Franklin has trained under world-renowned musicians Monette Sudler, Ruth Naomi Floyd and Angel Joy Blue, and has performed onstage with legendary artists Andrea Bocelli and Jon Bon Jovi. Franklin received her Bachelor of Music degree from Cairn University School of Music in 2019, and is a member of both The Philadelphia Chorale and The Philadelphia Orchestra's Symphonic Choir. Franklin most recently starred as Alice 2 in Opera on Tap Philadelphia's production of Alice Tierney in the 2025 Philadelphia Fringe Festival.
Candace Jones was born into a family of accomplished jazz musicians. Her early musical influences — ranging from John Coltrane and Sarah Vaughan to Stevie Wonder — shaped her into a vocalist with soul, sass and undeniable presence. Raised in the Bay Area, Jones honed her craft under the guidance of her musical family. "I grew up in a culture of music," she recalls. "It's in you — it moves, it grows." By 18, she had already earned numerous honors from organizations such as the NAACP and the San Francisco GRAMMY® Choir. At 22, she became a weekly headliner at the legendary Cotton Club in Harlem. Her stage career blossomed with lead roles in productions like Dreamgirls, Ain't Misbehavin' and Hair. Now based in Miami, Jones balances life as a performer, entrepreneur and mother to her two children.
Kate Kortum is a Houston-born jazz vocalist with a warm, distinctive sound that seamlessly blends the blues, bebop and Broadway. Kortum issued her debut album Good Woman (2023) to critical and streaming acclaim, surpassing 3.5 million streams for its imaginative reworkings of jazz standards from a female perspective. Her sophomore release Wild Woman (2025) follows, continuing her fresh, story-driven approach to bebop, blues and The Great American Songbook. A graduate of the University of Miami's Frost School of Music and the Juilliard School, Kortum has appeared at Mezzrow, SXSW, Birdland, Blue Note and Dizzy's, collaborating with Peter Bernstein, Emmet Cohen, Bryan Carter, Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.
Julia Moscardini, from Buenos Aires, Argentina, is a singer who focuses on jazz and Latin American (especially Argentinian) music. In Buenos Aires, she studied with renowned local jazz musicians Mariano Loiácono and Ernesto Jodos, and since 2015 travels to New York annually to study with her mentor master Sheila Jordan and others. For the last 10 years, she has led her own group and has recorded two albums, Stablemates (2019) and Mood Indigo (2022). She will soon release a live record with pianist Ernesto Jodos. She performs at jazz venues and festivals across the country and abroad (Chile, Uruguay and Brazil) and has been on stage with Antonio Hart, Carl Allen, Cyrus Chestnut, Anthony Wonsey, Lonnie Plaxico, Rudy Roystone, Russell Malone and Steve Davis. She teaches at the Escuela de Música Contemporánea (part of Berklee College of Music's International Network) in Buenos Aires.
Emma Smith is one of the most talked-about voices in jazz. She has collaborated with major artists including Michael Bublé, The Quincy Jones Orchestra, Jeff Goldblum and the Jeremy Pelt / Wayne Escoffery Quintet. Smith's accolades include widespread success with vocal harmony group The Puppini Sisters, a four-year stint as a BBC Radio 3 broadcaster and resident vocalist with the Ronnie Scott's All Stars. Following a triumphant tour with Postmodern Jukebox, she was named Jazz Act of the Year at the 2024 Jools Holland Boisdale Music Awards, and was one of only two singers to receive the prestigious Worshipful Company of Musicians Medal. Her solo debut Meshuga Baby was a breakout success and her new album, Bitter Orange, is a bold, personal portrait of a self-making artist, determined to leave her mark on the world with elegance, honesty and heart.
The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), located in downtown Newark, N.J., is America's most diverse performing arts center, and the artistic, cultural, educational and civic center of New Jersey – where great performances and events enhance and transform lives every day. NJPAC brings diverse communities together, providing access to all and showcasing the state's and the world's best artists while acting as a leading catalyst in the revitalization of its home city. Through its extensive Arts Education programs, NJPAC is shaping the next generation of artists and arts enthusiasts. NJPAC has served more than 10 million visitors (including over 1.9 million students and families) since opening its doors in 1997, and nurtures meaningful and lasting relationships with each of its constituents.
For the 14th consecutive year, NJPAC's TD James Moody Festival is sponsored by TD Bank, which has supported the event since its inauguration, ensuring that the event annually includes free community performances and educational events, as well as mainstage concerts showcasing jazz superstars. TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, is one of the 10 largest banks in the U.S. by assets, providing over 10 million customers with a full range of retail, small business and commercial banking products and services at more than 1,100 convenient locations throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Metro D.C., the Carolinas and Florida. In addition, TD Auto Finance, a division of TD Bank, N.A., offers vehicle financing and dealer commercial services. TD Bank and its subsidiaries also offer customized private banking and wealth management services through TD Wealth®. TD Bank is headquartered in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
