This Woman Went From Being A Biostatistician To Running The Coolest Music Festival In The South (#WomensHistoryMonth)

It's so cool, Common, Goldlink and Nao will be there.

As one of the first Black women to coordinate and run a successful music festival with internationally acclaimed headliners, Cicely Mitchell is sprinkling Black girl magic all over this typically male dominated industry.

Cicely Mitchell, Founder of the Art of Cool Project

The Art of Cool festival (AOCFEST) is a three day progressive jazz and alternative soul music festival that held its first year in 2014. With the festival taking place in various popular venues throughout the industrial city, this music festival is the South's best kept secret. Previous lineup alumni include Kamasi Washington, Thundercat, Moonchild, The Internet and 2016 XXL Freshman, Anderson .Paak.

This year, the festival headliners are Common, Rakim, George Clinton and the Revive Big Band. These artists will be accompanied by several fan favorites, including Goldlink, Nao, Masego and St. Beauty (from Janelle Monae's record label, Wondaland).

AOCFEST / Via aocfestival.org

Unlike some music festivals, AOCFEST takes place at various venues throughout the city of Durham. Festival goers will be wandering through the industrial city, attending day parties, art shows, coding classes during the Innovate Your Cool Festival, and ending the nights watching sets from a curated lineup of artists that would be hard to find all together at any other festival.

AOCFEST / Via Facebook: theaocproject

Bilal performing at an AOCFEST event in 2016

If you are wondering why Mitchell chose the city of Durham, North Carolina for this music festival, don't worry, you are not alone.

When asked about Durham, most people have never heard of the city, unless you mention Duke University. Though, this city is a booming hub for technology and talent. Greats such a producer 9th Wonder and Rapsody live in and around the city and Durham is the location of one of the few Google For Entrepreneur hubs.

I asked Mitchell why she thought Durham was the perfect location:

"Durham has the talent, venues, and audience to launch a successful jazz festival. Durham is currently home to three-time Grammy nominated jazz saxophonist, Branford Marsalis; six-time Grammy nominated jazz vocalist, Nnenna Freelon; Grammy nominated jazz bassist, John Brown; and Grammy nominated jazz vocalist, Kate McGarry. These Durhamites are great examples of world-class local talent that live among us in the Bull City. "

"In 2012 The Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC) finished #5 in box-office sales and Carolina Theatre finished in the top 100. Both of these venues are in 1 city block (5 minutes walking distance) from one another in proximity. The audience for jazz is well-educated, high-income earners, and between the ages of 35-55. The Triangle area with its abundance of universities, health care and research companies, and technology startups is a great pool for a jazz roots audience.

With these 3 elements (talent, venues, and audience) working in our favor, Durham is poised to tap into its rich music tradition of jazz/blues roots and produce a multiple day multi-venue festival downtown Durham."

Cicely Mitchell, co-founder of the Art of Cool Project

While the AOCFEST is her passion, Mitchell has still opted to keep her day job as a biostatistician. She received her bachelor’s degree from Tennessee State University in Nashville, and her Master of Science in biostatistics degree and her doctorate in biostatistics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In addition to her work with the festival, she is a senior statistician at a pharmaceutical company.

When I asked Mitchell why she thought it was important for their to be a modern jazz festival for this generation, she made it clear that her mission is to preserve the music genre.

"The genre of jazz is one of the few American art forms. The stigma of jazz is that it is for old people. We feel it is important to connect with young people to improvised Black American Music so that it can live on and be used as a base for more free musical expression. Hip hop and alternative soul was born from jazz and blues."

Cicely Mitchell, thank you for paving the way for women to dominate the music festival industry.

The Art of Cool festival takes place on April 28-30, 2017 in Durham, North Carolina. Will you be attending?