J.J. Maze is a singer, composer, and educator in Chicago. She was a runaway and high school dropout at age fifteen. After surviving some harrowing experiences on the streets, she toured internationally as singer/songwriter for over a decade then got her GED and went back to college as a performance major. She received her MM in classical vocal performance in 2008 from Northwestern University. J.J. Maze is on the voice faculty at Merit School of Music, which serves talented Chicago youth. She is also a teaching artist for Ravinia’s Reach-Teach-Play program, which reaches out to youth in underserved communities all throughout Chicagoland. Ms. Maze remains an active part of the Chicago music scene. She received the 2016 Clementine Skinner award for her contributions as a singer and educator to the black music culture in Chicago. In her downtime, she likes nothing more than laughing with good friends and walking her two dogs, Bella and Lenny.