28 May Lydia Salett Dudley

Lydia Salett Dudley is a jazz pianist and singer, though she does also sing christian and gospel. Her musical beginnings started in her childhood home as her mother played for a local baptist church when she was young and Dudley now considers playing in churches one of her favorite places to perform in.

Dudley grew up listening to classical music as well. “My mom practicing music on Saturday night,” chuckling as she recalls one of her favourite musical memories. “Or practicing her classical pieces.”

She’s gained much knowledge over her years of learning music with her mentors Professor Ed Paolantonio and Dr. Stephen Anderson. In fact, they’ve both assisted her in releasing “Green”, her first single in 2008 and her composition “Sunsets”. Other artists she’s admired includes Lester Young, Monk, and Mary Lou Williams, whom she did a thesis on.

One of her most notable achievements is her nonprofit organization, The Salett Art Center, Inc. in 2011. The organization’s mission is “to provide hope and inspiration through various educational music programs… which will enrich the quality of the musical lives of our underprivileged youth.”

She was really passionate in starting this organization and when asked about how it got started, she said, “I took my first jazz appreciation class back in 2005. Once I heard the information, I was like, this is awesome information. I grew up listening to this as a child, so I wanted to find a platform to share this information and I wanted to start a non-profit so that I can touch children under certain areas in order for them to get great musical information about jazz, blues, and negro spirituals.”

Often times when performing, artists make mistakes and Dudley is no exception. “I make a lot of them,” she says. “I guess it’s a part of life, just a part of the landscape.”