Demetrius “DJ” Turner

Eighteen year old DJ Turner has been performing publicly since the age of ten. He was named the “most sought after young jazz entertainer in the Delaware Valley” by The National Organization of the Arts. He is the youngest recipient of the Philadelphia based John Coltrane’s Cultural Society Award. DJ has performed at world renowned venues, including the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC; Madison Square Garden for the NBA New York Knicks; The United Nations and the World Famous Apollo Theatre; the Cape May Beach Jazz Festival, and at the Telluride Colorado Jazz Festival on the Main Stage. He has performed for world stage politicians including US Secretary of the State – Hillary Clinton; Former Senator Robert Dole; former House Majority Whip – Congressman James Clyburn; US President Barack Obama and for entertainment icons such as real estate mogul Donald Trump.

Despite all the hype, DJ is a very kind and humble young man. He helped create the Vewiser Turner Sr. Youth Jazz Education Foundation in honor of his grandfather and to introduce Jazz to kids. DJ was born in 1992 in Beaumont, TX. When he was 10 years old and residing in Pennsylvania, he learned that his grandfather (Vewiser J. Turner) – a Houston area Jazz Musician – was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Vewiser gave his grandson DJ his best saxophone, the one that made him a local legend in Houston during his “gigging days.” This saxophone, DJ’s most prized possession, has traveled with him up and down the east coast and into the mountains of Colorado.