At the age of 26, Erica vonKleist has begun to make her mark on the New York City jazz scene. She moved to the city in 2000 to study at the Manhattan School of Music, under the direction of Justin DiCioccio, and completed her studies at Juilliard, earning the first Bachelor’s Degree in jazz in the history of the school.
Since 2003, Erica has been a member of the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Arturo O’Farrill, touring jazz festivals and venues in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, Europe, Japan and China. She has been commissioned to write for the band and her compositions have been performed internationally. In May of 2005 Erica has was invited to be the flautist in Chris Potter’s Tentet and recorded an album produced by Dave Holland in the summer of 2006. She has also performed with the Wynton Marsalis Sextet, and has composed music for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Last summer, Erica was chosen to be a student delegate at the Achievement Awards, a weeklong celebration featuring the worlds most accomplished individuals, including Hillary Swank, Peyton Manning, Toni Morrison, George Lucas, and Eli Weisel.
As an educator, Erica has lead clinics and workshops in schools across the globe, and has had a hand in creating both the Middle School Jazz Academy at Jazz at Lincoln Center, and the Afro-Latin Jazz Alliance Academy of Music in Brooklyn.
Erica has taken on the role as bandleader for her trio and her quintet, Project E. She released her first album with her quintet Project E in 2006, and she will soon begin recording for her next project.