Whether she is singing lyrical jazz standards from The American Songbook, or her original roots songs that range from blues to reggae to folk to rock; Cecily Miles is a vocalist with an authentic style all her own.  Her voice contains a wide range of tonalities from smoky and earthy to clear and bright; working together to paint an original musical picture.  Her soulful, warm personality shines through in her exciting, fresh interpretations, paying homage to her favorite musicians such as Jimi Hendrix, Billie Holiday, Bob Marley, Taj Majal, Carmen McRae, Koko Taylor and many more.  She writes about love, family, parenthood, and life.  

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A native of Washington, DC, Cecily has performed at the legendary One Step Down, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Cultural Tourism DC's Porchfest among other venues and private functions.  In Los Angeles, she played at clubs including The World Stage, Miceli's, the Shabazz and the Atlas Bar and Grill.  As a musical theater artist, Cecily performed the role of The Singing Customer in the AFI Women Directors Series film 100% Human Hair (Ann Kaneko), and The Spirit Tree in Ceremony City: a World Music Opera (Robit Hairman). New York City area appearances include The Women Take the Bandstand music series at the Nuyorican Poets Café, Trumpets Jazz Club, and Make Music New York. She was the featured vocalist with El Salon Negro at the William Grant Still Anniversary Celebration in Natchez, Mississippi. She has also performed on Martha's Vineyard, in The US Virgin Islands, England and Ireland.

 

Her musical training began with a quarter-sized cello at the age of five, and later progressed to vocals. She studied voice with Ronnie Wells in DC, Anne Farnsworth at the University of Southern California and in the Jazz Department at California Institute of the Arts. Cecily is a graduate of Barnard College/Columbia University where she majored in Studio Art, and she recently earned her Masters in Teaching from The Center for Inspired Teaching/Trinity Washington University with an emphasis on arts-integration.