Photo by Meredith Truax
At just 24, Summer Camargo has already made her mark on the music world. The Hollywood, Fla., native and trumpet prodigy has been redefining what’s possible since graduating from the Dillard Center for the Arts in Fort Lauderdale.
Camargo went on to study jazz in New York City, explaining that she was the first female trumpet player to earn both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The Julliard School. In January 2022, she received an unexpected call from the “Saturday Night Live” house bandleader who offered her an audition. He had heard her perform in a New Jersey Jazz Society virtual concert from her apartment during the COVID-19 pandemic. “It’s crazy how in five minutes your whole life can be changed,” she says.
At only 20 years old, Camargo became the youngest cast member to join a TV band.
“I had the worst imposter syndrome when I first got hired for ‘SNL,’” she admits. Four seasons in, she still gets a rush of adrenaline every week when she hears the announcer say, “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night!”
Camargo’s weekend schedule is packed. She arrives at 30 Rockefeller Plaza at 10:30 a.m. every Saturday for “SNL” rehearsal and doesn’t leave the studio until 2 a.m., when she heads to the after-party. With only a few hours of shut-eye, she wakes up early Sunday morning for Mass, then heads straight to Circle in the Square Theatre, where she’s in the orchestra for the six-time Tony-nominated Broadway musical “Just in Time,” starring Jonathan Groff. She’s also a composer, bandleader and educator, and performs at renowned jazz clubs across Manhattan.
In 2024, Camargo released her debut album, “To Whom I Love,” a compilation of tracks she wrote as birthday gifts for family members, friends and mentors.
“I try to encapsulate a side of their spirit or a story about that person in a tune,” she says.