Stephanie Austin Letson

Stephanie Austin Letson is a singer, teacher, and clinician who has performed, taught, and worked in music for over forty years.  She has performed nationally and internationally as both a soloist and director, including Carnegie Hall, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, the Jazz Club de Grenoble, and national Jazz Education conventions (JEN and IAJE).  Her jazz vocal groups have won ten DownBeat Student Awards, been featured in DownBeat Magazine, been national finalists at the Monterey Jazz Festival Next Generation Competition, and her students have been awarded scholarships to universities throughout the nation.

As a jazz vocalist, Stephanie has performed internationally including San Francisco, New York, and Paris, released singles and will be releasing her first album, Telling Stories, June 6, 2024.  As a jazz director, she has produced seven albums with JAZZ-ology and JazzaNova.

She was a founding member of two jazz vocal quartets, InFusion and LesQuatre, Artistic Director for the Oakland Jazz Choir, and has been a Professor of Music since 1990.

Originally from New Orleans, LA, Stephanie began her career as a concert pianist and accompanist for classical soloists, choirs and churches.  She majored in Piano Performance at Loyola University, New Orleans, and in Music Education at the Eastman School of Music, New York.  She received her Doctorate in Music and Music Education at Columbia University, New York.

After moving to the San Francisco Bay Area, Stephanie became Piano and Choral faculty at De Anza and Gavilan Colleges, Director of Music at Hillsdale United Methodist Church, and accompanist at Stanford University. 

In 2000, Stephanie was invited to create a Vocal Performance program at Contra Costa College, where she became Co-Chair of the Music Department.  At CCC, she founded the jazz vocal and piano programs and the classical choral program.  She directs JAZZ-ology, Contra Costa Singers, JazzaNova, College Chorus, Jazz Singers, and teaches vocal performance majors.