MUSE • Musicians United for Social Equity

Biography

Camila was born and raised in Córdoba, Argentina and currently resides in Chicago, IL. In 2021, she was one of two recipients for the prestigious Jazz Links Fellowship Program granted by the Jazz Institute of Chicago. In 2022, she was chosen as one of the eight finalists for the Luminarts Jazz Fellowship Competition. In 2018, Camila was chosen as a finalist for the Herbie Hancock Institute. Ms. Mennitte was also granted the Mary Jo Papich Women in Jazz Scholarship at the 2019 JEN Conference in New Orleans.

In addition to being very active in the jazz scene, Camila performs extensively in the theater scene of Chicago. Some of her highlighted performances include: Motherfreakinghood at the Venus Cabaret ’23, and Passing Strange at Porchlight Theater ’22. As a sub, Camila played drums for the shows Spring Awakening and Cabaret both at Porchlight Theater as well as for the show Girlfriend at PrideArts Theater. Camila has played professionally in a number of high school and middle school productions including Newsies, Spelling Bee and Xanadu among others. In Chicago, Camila has worked under the music direction of Linda Madonia, Justin Kono, Jeremy Ramey and more.

Camila was a recipient, (along with the UWEC Jazz Band), of two Downbeat Awards for Best Undergraduate College Big Band, (2017- 2018). She curated a presentation on Candombe Drumming featuring Daniel ‘Tatita’ Marquez at PASIC in 2016. She has been awarded multiple scholarships from the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire and Indiana University, including a full sponsorship for her undergraduate studies and a Teaching Assistantship for her graduate studies.

In academic research, Camila was awarded with two different grants during her time at UWEC that allowed her to explore topics of feminism as well as diversity and inclusion. The first grant was named, “Exploring Primary Sources in Pre-Feminist Music History: Documenting Mid-Century Contributions to the American All Female Big Band Tradition.” The second grant was “Assessment of Teaching Techniques for Candombe in a Juvenile Detention Center,”.

In terms of education, Camila has always been highly involved in teaching in different settings. Camila held a teaching position at the Advanced Arts Program until 2021, an arts program free to all Chicago Public School students that provides AP credit. Ms. Mennitte held a private studio at the Jacobs School of Music through her TA drum set position. She has also volunteered and taught extensively at summer camps such as Shell Lake Arts Center. She has additionally taught master classes as a guest artist, adjudicated at jazz festivals and taught private lessons. She currently has her own private drum studio while she freelances in Chicago, IL.