Shahida Nurullah performs with former SoCA student Allesandro Rotondi during the 2018 retirement dinner for University of Windsor President Alan Wildeman. (DYLAN KRISTY/University of Windsor)
By Victor Romao
Every live performance offers something different.
Music unfolds in real time, shaped by the musicians' interactions, the energy in the room and spontaneous moments that can take a performance in unexpected directions.
For jazz vocalist and University of Windsor instructor Shahida Nurullah, that unpredictability is part of what makes music so compelling.
It's also a philosophy she has brought into the classroom at the School of Creative Arts (SoCA), encouraging students to listen closely, take creative risks and embrace the unexpected.
Drawing on decades of performing experience and deep connections to Detroit's jazz community, Nurullah has helped students discover the musicians, traditions and experiences that shaped her own career.
Nurullah has been named a 2026 Kresge Artist Fellow in Music and Music Performance, receiving a $50,000 US fellowship from Kresge Arts in Detroit.
For Nurullah, the recognition is both an honour and an opportunity to explore new creative projects.
"It's certainly an honour to receive this award," she said. "The fellowship has given me the financial freedom to breathe a little and think about future projects."
Among her plans is digitizing her extensive music book, which contains more than 200 pages of music, making it easier to manage during performances.
A career shaped by jazz
Throughout her career, Nurullah has performed with renowned musicians and ensembles.
Among the milestones she recalls is performing at Windsor's Top Hat Supper Club, where she made her first appearance before a Canadian audience.
She worked with Detroit pianist and composer Kenny Cox in the Guerrilla Jam Band, performing Brazilian music and original compositions. She also toured and recorded with pianist Geri Allen, appearing at clubs, concert halls and festivals throughout Europe, including the Paris Jazz Festival.
Other career highlights include performing with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra alongside conductor John Morris Russell, performing at Preservation Hall in New Orleans and sharing the stage with members of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, including Charlie Gabriel.
For Nurullah, those collaborations offered more than opportunities to perform.
They connected her with generations of musicians whose knowledge was often passed down through personal relationships and shared experiences.
"Detroit has an incredibly rich musical history," she said. "I feel fortunate to have been born when I was because I had opportunities to hear and work with musicians who were directly connected to earlier generations of jazz artists. Many of those lessons were shared through personal relationships and firsthand experiences that can't be found in books."
"Many of the musicians I learned from aren't here anymore, but they passed along knowledge and experiences that I can now share with my students," she said.
Bringing music beyond the classroom
Nurullah believes musical education should extend well beyond rehearsals and academic study.
Throughout her 19 years at SoCA, she has encouraged students to attend concerts, meet professional musicians and explore musical traditions outside their immediate interests.
Rather than simply recommending performances, Nurullah often attends concerts alongside her students, creating opportunities for discussion and reflection afterward. She considers these field trips an important part of their artistic and professional development.
For former student Allesandro Rotondi (BMus ’20, BEd ’22), those opportunities were among the most memorable parts of his education.
"Shahida as a teacher opens a world of possibility to her students," Rotondi said. "Even a few minutes around her opens the door to endless possibility."
He remembers Nurullah sharing records, stories and knowledge spanning everything from Brazilian bossa nova to jazz history while encouraging students to build professional connections.
Through Nurullah's stories of voicemails from Motown legend Martha Reeves, photographs from Motown house parties and an encounter with Stevie Wonder in a Detroit cathedral, Rotondi gained a personal connection to music history.
In 2019, recognizing his talent and musical development, Nurullah invited Rotondi to perform alongside her at the Detroit Jazz Festival, where he shared the stage with musicians including Marion Hayden, Sean Dobbins and Diego Rivera.
Lessons from the stage
For Nurullah, taking students to performances is about showing them something that cannot be fully taught in a classroom.
"There are things that happen on stage that can never be duplicated," Nurullah said. "Musicians communicate with one another through listening and observation. Sometimes a single glance can change the direction of a performance. You can only experience that by being there."
Former student Lisette Sasso (BMus '16) credits Nurullah with helping her develop an appreciation for jazz and the confidence to find her own musical identity.
"Her passion for jazz is contagious," Sasso said. "She opened my ears to the beauty in many jazz vocalists and instrumentalists alike and taught me to embrace stylistic choices in different repertoire, and the importance of learning the melody first, while simultaneously incorporating the art of improvising."
Sasso, who now performs with her husband, guitarist and fellow SoCA alumnus Tyler Sasso (BMus '13), says Nurullah's lessons continue to influence her performances.
One piece of advice that has stayed with her is the importance of understanding the story behind a song rather than focusing solely on technique, a lesson she carries into her performances.
"Shahida always taught us to know the meaning of a song: the lyrics are a singer's best friend, and if you don't know what a song is about, you can't expect to deliver it to its full potential," said Sasso.
"Beyond the technical training, Shahida also showed me that being an artist and being generous, kind and open to learning go hand in hand," she said. "I carry that into every rehearsal and show."
A lasting influence
For Nurullah, teaching is as much about encouraging curiosity as developing musical ability. She enjoys the different personalities and perspectives students bring to the classroom and finds it rewarding to watch them grow.
"I hope they develop an appreciation for music, but more importantly, I hope they become curious," she said. "I encourage them to ask questions, explore opportunities and not be afraid to put themselves out there."
Now a teacher himself, Rotondi says Nurullah's influence extends beyond the musical knowledge she shared.
"She taught us that ego has no place in music; togetherness is when true learning and growth occur," he said.