Nitasha Jackson
Nitasha Jackson is inarguably gifted with music and has been since an early age. At just 18 months old, NiTasha displayed the markings of a child prodigy. She could be found 'playing' her grandmother's organ for long periods of time, always making up her own songs, always singing and recording herself on a tape player. At the age of 5, NiTasha began studying music at Yamaha Music School in her hometown of Fredericksburg, Virginia. Here, she would not only learn to read music and play by ear, but her gift for composition would be cultivated. Before her sixth birthday, she had written and notated her first song. Over the next nine years, NiTasha would receive numerous awards and recognition for her compositions on state, regional and national levels from Yamaha Junior Original Composers' Concert (JOC), the Virginia Federation of Music Clubs, and many other organizations. In 1992, NiTasha participated in her first Yamaha JOC, a concert where young composers are selected by Yamaha Music Corporation to showcase their original pieces. Later, she was featured in JOC concerts in Virginia, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, and California. In 2000, NiTasha was one of nine selected from the U.S., Canada, and Japan to perform at the Yamaha Highlights 2000 Concert. At age 17, she would be the first musician at a JOC concert event to include vocals in her performance since its start in 1972. Yamaha invited her on two separate occasions to perform at the NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) Show in Los Angeles to showcase Yamaha Pianos and their music education system. Before she was 18, NiTasha had worked closely with several professional artists and arrangers including Shannon Grama, Philip Keveren, M.B. Gordy (freelance drummer percussionist for various artists including Neil Diamond, John Tesh, Wilco, and Green Day) and Linda Martinez (keyboardist/composer for Destiny's Child and MTV).
NITASHA JACKSON GIGS AT CLUB FANDANGO