About Corina

Described as a "modern Renaissance woman," Corina Kwami is a musician on stage and screen. She has performed in countries across the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia with her projects (Corina Kwami Quartet, Jazz Age Dance Bands and Pangea) as well as a featured musician with projects such as Wildcard, Down for the Count and more!

Born in New Jersey, USA, to a Ghanaian and Irish family, her inspiration in jazz is flavoured with influences such as stride piano, West African high-life, Irish folk music to and soul. She is motivated by the story-telling power of jazz and its potential for connecting people across cultures.

Corina’s extended work also includes contributions from the arts to innovation, future cities and sustainability. As a recognized thought leader with a PhD, she has deepened pedagogy in bridging the arts and sciences in order to facilitate exchanges between these worlds. You can see her face on series for the Discovery Channel and Science Channel. She lives in London.

Anyone who has met Corina Kwami, walks away having learned something new, peaked behind the curtain of her many lives and/or become part of one of her fascinating journeys. She has that ‘renaissance’ combination of the arts and sciences, and in Corina’s case, her storytelling abilities paint a picture of experiences that flow together, like streams joining a body of water.

When Corina arrived in London in 2012, she had a Division 1 NCAA Women’s Swimming title to her name from Georgetown University, United Nations position and nearly 10 countries she had contributed to through many diplomatic, environmental and health projects, including posts at the WHO office in Kigali, Rwanda, contributions advancing cultural diplomacy with the Embassy of Switzerland and a doctorate in engineering from University College London. And if it wasn’t enough to be tackling some of the world’s most complex problems, at each chapter from age 8 and every country since then, she has continued to grow as an artist - with formal musical training in piano and voice, gospel music and dance from around the globe. Performing in jazz and genres inspired by african rhythms and samba, her work is inspired by themes of migration, identity and storytelling across generations.

Her quartet has featured her originals and inspiring takes on well-known classics. More recently, her quartet celebrates a global repertoire including classic sambas, afro, and some originals influenced by her Ghanaian-Irish roots and life in 20+ countries. She situates her music in its context, and is celebrated for her ability to tell stories and bring an audience with her is testament to having adapted to so many different places and spaces both on and off stage. 

What you may get to witness in her quartet or in her collaborations with other musicians, is a deep connection to movement and groove! An accomplished dancer as well, she also makes music dance with jazz dances such as tap, West African dance and latin rhythms - bringing a unique rhythmic take rooted in movement and story-telling that blends cultures, like jazz has for decades. Her bands have captivated audiences and dazzling international dance festivals across the globe.

As both a musician and dancer, she is at home on the dance floor - performing, competing and/or jamming for fun! As a loved dancer in the London scene for over 10 years, she is also connected to scenes around the globe - Geneva, Berlin, Singapore, NYC, DC, Phoenix to name a few! Where she stands out is in her connection to tap dance and her commitment to showcasing this art form for dance audiences and new audiences alike! A dancer herself, she often hosts guest tap dancers such as Adele Joel and Claire Miller and has collaborated with the famed Heather Cornell, both on stage and on screen, for a talk on how tap, music and dance can help us wayfind through uncertain times!

With an incredible gift for connecting with audiences on stage, she is frequently invited to contribute to social impact spaces where she builds bridges between the arts and sciences, sustainable development and cultural diplomacy. Whether it's to communicate complex themes in compelling ways (Discovery Channel, Smithsonian Channel or the Science Channel), inspire MBA students and other professionals with inspo from jazz for leaders (INSEAD, or simply elevate untold stories in a creative way (TEDx), her tremendous ability to inspire people is best captured by ‘Flemming Bessenbacher, Chairman of the Carlsberg Group’ who said: Corina's inspiring talk and performance at our UNLEASH opening ceremony empowered all the young talents attending to draw upon the creative arts in their work tackling the SDGs. Through an impressive grasp of what it can teach us about leadership, partnerships, and innovative thinking, she inspired the 1000 talents ahead of their UNLEASH innovation lab journey.

The great thing about her storytelling is that it's backed up by lived experiences and a commitment to elevating voices and stories we don’t hear from often. Storytelling is something Corina continues to develop and was the foundation of her upbringing in Ewing, New Jersey. Her mum is a nurse of a big Irish Catholic family, where accordion, stride piano and stories of ancestors who made their home in the Americas were familiar occurrences at home. Her father came from Ghana to the US via Canada in the 1980s, and met her mother. They settled in NJ and have 5 children. Music, dance and storytelling were part of everyday life. Says Corina: ‘It takes many voices to tell a story. And the best thing is when you can have those different voices in dialogue together…in Ghanaian tradition, storytelling is as much about the griot as it is the discussion that emerges, particularly across generations. As a musician and a dancer, I try to cultivate these spaces for my band and my audience in real time. Every time I go on stage, I get to invite these groups in dialogue.

Check out Corina’s projects here!

Corina Kwami Quenches the thirst for jazz and water by Syncopated Times

Cross-cultural & Global Spotlight Dr Corina Shika Kwami by Davis Center for Performing Arts