Philadelphia born artist, Dr. Tiffany Renée Jackson is a groundbreaking, highly recognized classical and jazz singer, vocal pedagogue, fitness professional, author, composer, and scholar, who was raised in New Haven, CT. Her educational credits include a Bachelor of Music Degree from the University of Michigan, a Master of Music and Artist Diploma from Yale School of Music, a Professional Studies Degree from the Manhattan School of Music, and a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from the University of Connecticut. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Music (Voice) at Hampton University, where she teaches vocal methods, music business, diction, applied voice lessons, and a commercial vocal ensemble.

Dr. Tiffany Renee Jackson has an extensive, lauded singing career, that spans both the classical and jazz genres. After honing her craft in the classical arena with the Houston Grand Opera Studio, she sang with orchestras and symphonies around the world (Norway, Slovenia, Germany, and others) during a time when the Metropolitan Opera awarded her a Study Grant. She has been a featured soloist with numerous Symphony Orchestras including National Philharmonic Orchestra, Gotham City Orchestra, New Haven Symphony Orchestra, Greater Bridgeport Symphony, Akron Symphony, Duluth Symphony Orchestra, and many others. She has performed in premier festivals such as Tanglewood, Ravinia and Aspen. In 2005, she was the soprano soloist in Haydn’s Paukenmesse at Carnegie Hall. She has worked with conductors such as Christoph Eschenbach, Patrick Summers, Julius Rudell, James Conlon and many others.

In the jazz world, Dr. Jackson is known for her interpretations of the music of Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington. She has appeared at the Blue Note (NYC) and Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola, Jazz at Lincoln Center. She can be heard on recordings with Emmy Award winning composer, Dr. Rex Cadwallader, A Balm in Gilead and Sweet Perfume in an Alabaster Jar. In addition to her singing credits, Dr. Jackson is a fitness competitor and sports nutrition specialist. She brought all of her talents to the world in 2011 when she appeared on “America’s Got Talent” as the “Necessarydiva”, the opera singing bodybuilder. 

Dr. Jackson’s career began to change course after returning from a trip to South Africa with Oprah Winfrey, where she visited Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, and Johannesburg. During the World Aids Day Concert in Cape Town, she met the late Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first African president. 

In recent years, Dr. Jackson has been endeavored to provide advocacy in social justice reform for public and private arts education organizations, some of whom have rededicated their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Connecticut’s Arts Administrators Association invited her to their platform to speak about Social Justice in the Arts through SEL frameworks and she delivered the keynote address for the Connecticut Music Educators Association.

In the publishing arena, Dr. Jackson’s arrangement of the spiritual “Elijah Rock” will be published by Alfred Publishing in April 2024. She is a recurring contributor for Penguin Books and DK Publishing in London. Her most recent article features the life and works of African American composer, Margaret Bonds and Florence Price. In 2020, Dr. Jackson debuted an autobiographical and multidimensional one-woman show, Rising of the Necessary Diva, at the Paul Mellon Arts Center in Wallingford, CT. Despite the challenges caused by the pandemic, the show has continued to reach audiences through socially distant platforms chartered by the International Festival of Arts and Ideas and the Asylum Hill Congregational Church in Hartford, CT.