Soundscape with Muse Dodd and Cecily Bumbray

Muse Dodd or MUSE(O)FIRE is a Baltimore-based DJ, Filmmaker, and Creative Technologist with deep ancestral roots in the River Parishes of Southeastern Louisiana. Their work explores how Blackness exists in the near future, borrowing from personal and collective histories, both actual and imagined. For the last 9 years they’ve made a name for themselves in the local and national scene playing festivals like Love Groove Festival and providing direct support for artists like Serpentwithfeet.  MUSE(O)FIRE channels the transformative power of music to build community, uplift marginalized voices, and keep the dance floor moving.

Vocalist and songwriter Cecily (pronounced Ses-Suh-Lee) is known for her agile soprano and honest lyrics. The Washington, DC native has a rich, soothing sound rooted in mid-century Soul and Jazz. Often drawing comparisons to Minnie Riperton and Amel Larrieux, her music is imbued with a unique sensuality that informs not only her vocal approach, but also her self-reflecting lyrics. Cecily has been heralded for her poetic writing style. Grounded in an easy vulnerability, her lyrics speak of deep lessons around self-acceptance, freedom, community and love. 

Her album Awakening Pt. II, released in 2024, was directly inspired by Black Feminist writer bell hook’s text All About Love. The eight-track album explores unconditional love and its transformative power. Going beyond the romantic, Cecily delves into what hooks calls a “love ethic,” with songs navigating familial love, self-love, divine love, and love of the Earth. The album is Cecily’s continuation of the critically acclaimed Awakening Pt. I. The 2019 release landed her first SoulTracks Readers’ Choice Awards nomination for Best Female Vocalist of the Year and an Indie Soul Music Award for Best Female Artist of the Year. The project was named “Best New Soul on Bandcamp” by Chaka Grier of the Bandcamp Editorial Team, who praised her ability to blend “top-notch songwriting and thoughtful self-reflection with a gentle jazz-influenced sound.” 

Part 1’s lead single “Clumsy” won a 2020 Washington Area Music Award (WAMMIE) for Best Soul Song, and had its music video premiere on BETSOUL and BET.com, which praised the tracks “gorgeously sultry vocals.” 

Cecily’s 2018 album Songs of Love and Freedom, garnered her a 2019 WAMMIE Award for Best Soul Album and was named “Best New Soul on Bandcamp” by the Editorial team, who described the project as “stirringly timeless and modern.” 

Praised across all the musical worlds from which she draws influence, Cecily featured on modern jazz stylist José James’ project No Beginning No End 2. She has opened for award winning jazz and soul artists Gregory Porter, Ezra Collective, Nate Smith, and Maysa, R&B stars Johnny Gill, Kenny Lattimore and Elle Varner, folk artist Becca Stevens and alternative soul pioneer Bilal. 

Cecily has been featured at the Essence Festival of Culture, Capital Jazz Fest, The Atlanta Jazz Festival and DC Jazz Festival. She has performed multiple times at the legendary Blues Alley and Apollo Music Café, as well as The Kennedy Center, The Hamilton, Howard Theater, and at the VI Annual Mompox, Colombia Jazz Festival, having been invited by the US Embassy. 

Cecily is also an experienced voice teacher certified in Somatic Voicework and trained at Shenandoah University’s Vocal Pedagogy Institute. She also leads guided meditations and sound healing workshops. On three occasions her meditations have been chosen as Editor's Picks and featured on the homepage of Insight Timer, the #1 meditation app in the country. 

From creating and performing to teaching and coaching, everything Cecily does is grounded in her commitment to create work that celebrates vulnerability as a strength, unconditional love as a grounding principle, and joy as an innate human right.