Commencement 2023 - Student Spotlight: James Richard Jordan III

James Richard Jordan III, Tulane University 2023 Graduate

James Richard Jordan III is a native of Washington, D.C., and received a dual degree in Cell and Molecular Biology and Black American Music. He is the 2023 student singer and performed Basin Street Blues, as it is not only a traditional New Orleans standard but was also the first song he performed when playing a set with Professor Ashlin Parker’s band Trumpet Mafia during his junior year.

For the past four years, James has been a Green Envy A Cappella member and has served as one of the music directors for the past three years. James also formed the band James Jordan and the Situation and will continue playing at venues across the city after graduation. He is a 2023 winner of the Sarah I. Nadler Memorial Award in Music, which noted his participation in Green Envy and the leadership of his band.

This year, James had the opportunity and honor to perform at Jazz Fest twice — once with Tulane’s BAM Ensemble and once with his voice teacher, the great Leah Chase. Shortly after graduation, he will travel to Switzerland to perform at the Ascona Jazz Festival. After he returns to New Orleans, he will begin working as an ER technician while continuing to perform with his band and other musicians.

James would like to thank his most influential professors who made his Tulane experience so memorable, including Professor Ashlin Parker, Professor Jesse McBride and Dr. Courtney Bryan in the School of Liberal Arts Music Department, and Dr. Elizabeth Abboud and Dr. Meena Vijayaraghavan in the Cell and Molecular Biology Department.