Sarah Quintana, Leyla McCalla, Louis Michot

Biography

Sarah Quintana is a New Orleans-based singer-songwriter with deep roots in the city's rich musical traditions. Born and raised in New Orleans, she began guitar at age twelve and studied jazz at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts under Kent Jordan around 2000, later earning a BA from Loyola University New Orleans. Her early career was shaped by a pivotal experience: while a junior at Loyola during Hurricane Katrina, she spent a year in the Netherlands and subsequently toured extensively in France, performing Louisiana music in schools and theaters. These European experiences profoundly influenced her artistic development and deepened her connection to her hometown's musical heritage.

Quintana's musical style blends jazz, folk, and rhythm & blues, drawing inspiration from Louisiana's 1950s and 1960s music culture. She released her debut album The World Has Changed in 2012 (produced by Ingrid Lucia) and has since developed a substantial discography including Miss River (2016), Live in Marseille (2020), and her latest album Baby Don't (2025), which features an all-star lineup of Louisiana-based musicians. Beyond performance and songwriting, Quintana is a fellowship-trained voice pathologist and vocal coach who works as a music educator. She is a member of the Memphis Chapter of the Grammy Foundation, where her research focuses on creating vocal-health care pathways for Louisiana's culture bearers and oral traditions.

Throughout her career, Quintana has received recognition from the Grammy Foundation Recording Academy, The Voice Foundation, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival Foundation, and the Big Easy Awards. She participated in a notable artist residency at A Studio in the Woods (2012), where she created The Delta Demitasse, an innovative multimedia project exploring the relationship between water and sound that was performed and exhibited at the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans.

Fun Facts

• Quintana received a CODOFIL scholarship to study in France, which facilitated her early European touring experience and exposure to Louisiana music traditions from an international perspective.
• During her artist residency at A Studio in the Woods, she used water as an instrument, composing songs with unconventional instruments including cups, bowls, mason jars, and singing bowls, and invited the general public and children to participate in collaborative recordings.
• She was a junior at Loyola University when Hurricane Katrina struck; instead of returning to rebuild, she spent a year in the Netherlands, which redirected her career path toward European jazz clubs and French musicians who taught her about her own homeland's musical traditions.
• Quintana's latest album Baby Don't (2025) was inspired by childhood memories of falling asleep listening to New Orleans rhythm & blues on the radio, representing her attempt to create a Louisiana record 'her way.'

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Kent Jordan - Jazz instructor at New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (Jazz education and training) [circa 2000]
• Ingrid Lucia - Producer of debut album; influential female figure in New Orleans jazz scene (The World Has Changed (2012)) [2012]

Key Collaborators

• Michael Doucet - Grammy-winning Louisiana-based musician; collaborative partner (Lacher Prise (2020)) [2020]
• Leyla McCalla - Grammy-winning Louisiana-based musician; collaborative partner (Day for the Hunter (2018)) [2018]
• Kevin Clark (The Nightcrawlers) - Grammy-winning Louisiana-based musician; collaborative partner (Various collaborations) [Ongoing]
• Raphael Imbert - Saxophonist from Marseille; toured with Quintana on projects Omax to Lomax and La Companie Nine Spirit (Music is my Home (2015)) [2015-ongoing]
• Christophe Lampidecchia - Collaborative partner (Love Letters 2019 (2019)) [2019]
• Mark Bingham and Dave Glasser - Producers (Miss River (2016)) [2016]

External Links

• Spotify