Bertha Hope was married the influential jazz pianist and composer Elmo Hope and appeared with him on the 1961 Riverside recording "Hope-Full". After Elmo Hope died in 1967, Bertha Hope continued performing, teaching, and preserving his compositions. She formed or worked with projects including ELMOllenium/The Elmo Hope Project, the women-led group Jazzberry Jam, and the Bertha Hope Trio. Her own previous recordings include In Search of Hope, Elmo's Fire, Between Two Kings, and Nothin' But Love.

Hope's career represents an important but often under-recognized contribution to New York jazz: she has performed with artists including Dizzy Gillespie, Nat Adderley, Frank Foster, and Philly Joe Jones, while also teaching jazz to younger musicians.