2024 JAS Academy Dates:
June 10th, 2024 – June 24th, 2024 – Big Band Session
July 29th, 2024 – August 12th, 2024 – Afro-Caribbean Big Band Session
Applications are now being accepted for 2024!
Visit us here to get started
Please find audition materials for the Afro-Caribbean sessions here
The highly-acclaimed JAS Academy Big Band Sessions, led by JAS Academy Artistic Director Christian McBride will now overlap the JAS June Experience, allowing attendees the opportunity to perform during the annual Aspen event and to have exposure to the many artists who will perform over the weekend.
The second sessions will be led by Guggenheim Fellowship Recipient, Etienne Charles, with a focus on “non-swing” styles of music – including Latin, music of South and Central America, Africa, and the Caribbean.
McBride and Charles will work in tandem with Frost Dean Shelly Berg, JAS President & CEO Jim Horowitz, and Program Director Chuck Bergeron, who will work on both sessions. Attendees will participate in both combo and big band settings during their residency.
The goal of the JAS Academy is to identify and assist the most talented artists embracing jazz fundamentally while exploring myriad related & unrelated forms of music at the highest level of quality. While at the Academy, in addition to their studies and rehearsals, students will also be showcased at multiple public performances.
The Academy is full-scholarship, with all travel, lodging, tuition and meals provided. The JAS Academy is supported annually by a multi-year gift from Sasha & Ed Bass.
COMBO SESSION July 10-24th, 2023
KINGTON
Manhattan School of Music
Kington- MSMNYC
LEO STEINRIEDE – GUITAR
MAX BARNES – TENOR SAX
CHRIS RAMIREZ – BASS
STONE CORNELIUS – DRUMS
Kington’s goal is to write and play groove based original music while still maintaining core elements of jazz harmony, rhythm, and improvisation. The band formed in the dorms of Manhattan School of Music, playing jam sessions of original tunes and standards, and holding concerts for other students. Kington quickly solidified as a quartet and began rehearsing regularly in Stone’s room (the drummer). In the coming months, Kington will appear at Chris’s Jazz Cafe, the premier jazz venue in Philadelphia, and will record the score for an upcoming short film.
THE MERCER PATTERSON QUINTET
University of Michigan
The Mercer Patterson – UM
Mercer Patterson – Piano
Connor Hoyt – Alto Sax
Ryan Venora – Trumpet
Jack Nissen – Bass Guitar/Double Bass
Phillip Buchman – Drums
The Mercer Patterson Quintet is a contemporary jazz ensemble based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. They play a variety of originals, primarily written by Mercer Patterson, and are influenced by a wide range of styles and artists, including the music of Frank Zappa, Herbie Hancock, and Steve Lehman. They have performed at several venues throughout the Ann Arbor-Metro Detroit Area, such as the Blue Llama, The Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe, and the Detroit Jazz Festival. Their debut album “Eternity Switch” is available on all streaming platforms.
THE AARON OUELLETTE QUINTET
Eastman School of Music
The Aaron Ouellette Quintet – Eastman School of Music
Aaron Ouellette – Trumpet
Sarah Navratil – Tenor Saxophone
Timothy Ogunbiyi – Piano
Ian Gleissner – Bass
Kevin Murphy – Drums
The Aaron Ouellette Quintet, based out of Rochester, New York, and consisting of undergrad and grad students from the Eastman School of Music, is a contemporary jazz group that focuses on collaborative original music and unconventional arrangements, both in recording sessions and out in the local community.
Throughout high school, Aaron Ouellette performed with the Jazz Band of America, NAfME’s All National Jazz Ensemble, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Summer Jazz Academy, and Carnegie Hall’s NYO Jazz Band, and has been recognized by Downbeat Magazine and the National YoungArts Foundation. Now a junior at Eastman, Ouellette studies trumpet with Clay Jenkins, and has performed at the Rochester Lilac Festival and the Rochester International Jazz Fest. In May of 2023, Ouellette will be competing in the International Trumpet Guild’s Jazz Division.
Sarah Navratil, coming from Minnesota, currently studies jazz saxophone, contemporary media, and woodwind doubling at Eastman, under Charles Pillow. As a member of the WIJO Women in Jazz Mentorship Program, Navratil has worked closely with musicians such as Maria Grand, Alexa Tarantino, and Camille Thurman.
Timothy AdeDigba Ogunbiyi was born in Lagos, Nigeria. After teaching himself to play beginner piano, Ogunbiyi enrolled at the Peter King College of Music and subsequently the MUSON Diploma School of Music where he was awarded the Steinway and Sons Piano Proficiency Award. After completing his undergrad at the University of Lagos, he moved to the US to study at New Jersey City University. He is currently studying with Gary Versace at Eastman.
Ian Gleissner, originally from Ohio, is a junior jazz bassist at Eastman. Gleissner has participated in Lynn Seaton’s Jazz Double Bass Workshop and the Eastman Summer Jazz Studies program. Growing up under the tutelage of the Columbus Jazz Arts Group, he spent several years studying with trumpeter Byron Stripling.
Kevin Murphy, an active drummer, composer, and arranger currently based out of Los Angeles, has performed with the Jazz Band of America, the Eastman Jazz Ensemble, and various project bands in a wide variety of genres. Murphy has had original works premiered by the Eastman Jazz Ensemble, the Eastman Jazz Lab Band, and his own twelve-piece chamber jazz orchestra.
Through their most recent projects, the Aaron Ouellette Quintet has made an effort to push the limits of both nostalgia and obscurity in their compositions, learning how these ideas can coexist and be incorporated into both writing and improvisation. The group looks forward to traveling and performing outside of Rochester, New York in the coming months!
4-PEACE
Manhattan School of Music
4-PEACE – Manhattan School of Music
4-Peace is a dynamic musical group that captivates audiences with its distinct sound. The band is comprised of four talented musicians: Destiny Diggs (Lé Queen) on bass, Miles Lennox on piano, Nic Gelin on trumpet, and Josh Green on drums. 4-Peace pushes boundaries.
The band met at Manhattan School of Music a wide range of repertoire. Collectively they have performed with people such as Stefon Harris, Wynton Marsalis, Jon Faddis, Jon Batiste, Bobby Watson, Winard Harper, and Billy Hart, amongst many others. Together, they create a synergy that speaks for itself.
BIG BAND SESSION July 24-August 7th, 2023
ADAM ARONESTY
Eastman School of Music
Adam Aronesty – Eastman School of Music
Adam Aronesty, a saxophonist and composer based in Los Angeles, is currently pursuing his Bachelor’s degree at the Eastman School of Music. This renowned institution has provided Adam with invaluable opportunities to collaborate with esteemed artists such as Jeremy Pelt, Ryan Kerberle, and Jeff Hamilton. In addition to his studies at Eastman, Adam actively engages with the upstate New York music scene, captivating audiences with his Quintet and collaborating with various pop/indie groups at local venues.
Adam extends his appreciation to his mentors, including Charles Pillow, David Sills, Joel Carlson, Lucas Pino, and the entire faculty at Eastman. Their unwavering support and belief in his talent have been instrumental in nurturing his growth. Among Adam’s most notable musical influences are Mark Turner, Joe Henderson, Sonny Rollins, Chick Corea, and Wayne Shorter. Through their profound artistry, Adam has discovered a deep passion for exploration and experimentation, continually pushing the boundaries of his own musical expression.
F. AUGUST BISH
University of North Texas
F. August Bish – UNT
August Bish is a double bassist currently based in Western New York. While his sound and musical identity are firmly planted in jazz’s many branches and roots, his playing and compositions are informed by an eclectic range of influences. These include his background in western classical solo and symphonic repertoire, cultural heritage in both Chinese traditional and pop music and American folk song, Broadway musicals, Hindustani classical music, hip hop, psychopop, heavy metal and beyond. Bish seeks to marry some of the unique elements present in these highly specialized music cultures over a firm foundation of historically informed, socially conscious, musically swingin’ jazz playing. He was named semi-finalist in the Jazz Division of the ISB Double Bass competition, being held in June of 2023. Bish’s playing can be heard on several recent recording projects, including upcoming big band albums with Allison Miller and the UNT One O’Clock Lab Band.
SAMUEL BOLDUC
Berklee College of Music
Samuel Bolduc – Berklee
Samuel was born and raised in a musical family (his dad was a guitar player) which led him to the drums at age 7. Until the age of 19, Samuel was very active and in demand in various projects including recording studios all over Montreal. In 2017, he pursues his studies in Boston at Berklee College of Music where he studied with the great Ralph Peterson Jr. Sam. Got to perform in various places with Ralph such as Bern Jazz Festival, the DC jazz festival, and Dizzies and Scullers. Mr. Peterson gave him the 2nd drummer chair in his Art Blakey Tribute “Next generation big band”. The band recorded an album entitled “Listen Up!” at the Power Station in New York City. Samuel got involved in many different projects at Wally’s Jazz Café with people like Jason Palmer and. Kevin Harris. After graduating from Berklee College of Music, he then pursues his musical career in New York City where he gets to perform with the likes of Stacy Dillard, Josh Evans, and Steve Wilson.
ANDREW BRYANT
University of North Texas
Andrew Bryant – UNT
Drew Bryant is a Chicago-based bass trombonist and low brass musician and educator. Growing up in St. Charles IL, he started trombone at 15 and studied under Tom Garling & Tom Stark at Elmhurst University for his bachelor’s degree. Under the direction of Doug Beach, he had the opportunity to perform alongside many of his heroes such as Dennis Mackrel, Bobby Floyd, and Kurt Elling as well as record a Bob Brookmeyer tribute album, “Some of My Best Friends” conducted by Ryan Truesdell. He is an active jazz, orchestral and commercial trombonist & tubist and is the current classical TA at Birch Creek Music Performance Center.
Currently studying under Nick Finzer at UNT and pursuing a master’s degree in jazz performance, Drew has played with the U-Tubes Jazz Trombone Ensemble, Three O’Clock Lab Band directed by Rich DeRosa, and the Two O’Clock Lab Band directed by Rob Parton. He is an active trombonist and educator in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and intends on moving back to Chicago after graduation in 2024.
CAELAN CARDELLO
William Patterson
Caelan Cardello – William Paterson
Born and raised in Teaneck, NJ, Caelan Cardello has been playing piano since the age of 5. He grew up studying jazz and classical separately and was performing professionally by the age of 16. He attended Jazz House Kids for 7 years and was given opportunities to learn from the greatest jazz mentors and play on stages like Dizzys Club, The Jazz Standard, and the Montclair Jazz Festival. Caelan has performed with Christian McBride, Joe Farnsworth, Jimmy Cobb, Cecile McLorin Salvant, and Rufus Reid, to name a few. He is one of 5 finalists in the prestigious American Pianists Association Jazz competition. Caelan graduated from William Paterson University with a bachelor’s in Jazz Performance in 2022 and now regularly plays in NYC with his own group or as a sideman. This fall, he will be attending the Juilliard School for his master’s degree.
CARTER ENG
San Francisco Conservatory
Carter Eng
Seattle native Carter Eng is a trumpet player that aspires to join the likes of Roy Hargrove and Clifford Brown as a great virtuoso of his time.
Carter has performed across the US and abroad at venues such as the Newport and North Sea Jazz Festivals, Lincoln Center, and SFJAZZ. A highlight of his career thus far was winning the 2019 Essentially Ellington Competition with the Roosevelt Jazz Band. He was recently selected as a semi-finalist for the Ryan Anthony Memorial Trumpet Competition in June 2023. Carter is currently completing his studies at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music studying with Mike Rodriguez and Mario Guarneri.
JOSHUA FERRELL
University of North Texas
Joshua Ferrell – University of Texas
Joshua Ferrell is a percussionist, and director at the University of North Texas (UNT) aiming to inspire his audience to become creative artists through adventurous jazz. There he serves as the director of the Seven O’clock Lab Band and as a member of the Four O’clock Lab Band (2023). He recently received his Bachelor’s degree from Sam Houston State University (SHSU) in Huntsville, TX (2022). During his last year at SHSU, he was appointed as the Teaching Assistant for the Jazz Lab Band under the direction of Brian Fincher.
Joshua can also be heard on an album with the 2021 SHSU Jazz Ensemble titled, Upside Downside. Recently, he toured Texas with the U-Tubes from UNT before performing at the 2023 Texas Music Education Association. In the near future, Joshua will have taught alongside profound musician Ed Soph at the 2023 UNT Summer Jazz Combo Workshop. After the Spring of 2023, he will also serve as the Five O’clock Lab Band director at UNT.
Throughout his life, he has received scholarships from both inside and outside of SHSU and UNT. He is the first percussionist to ever receive the endowed Fisher Tull Scholarship, recipient of The Woodlands Pavilion Fine Arts Scholarship and the Neil Peart Scholarship resulting in a total of $25,000. As a current member of the Texas Music Educators Association, Joshua became a recipient of the TMEA Collegiate Educators Award. He currently resides in Denton, TX while finishing his Masters degree at UNT.
KATELYN HUNTER
University of North Texas
Katelyn Hunter – UNT
Katelyn Hunter is an award-winning jazz vocalist and songwriter in the DWF area, whose buttery tone and vivid storytelling capture listeners’ ears. Katelyn recently completed her undergraduate degree at the University of North Texas (UNT). She will remain at UNT as a teaching assistant to pursue her master’s degree under the direction of renowned vocalists and educators Rosana Eckert and Jennifer Barnes. During her undergrad, Hunter spent time as the vocalist for the Grammy-nominated One O’Clock Lab Band where echos of Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan could be heard in her sound. Katelyn also sang in the DownBeat award-winning vocal ensemble UNT Jazz Singers and is a featured soloist on the group’s latest album I Carry Your Heart.
GRAHAM KOZAK
Rutgers University
Graham Kozak – Rutgers University
Graham Kozak is an up and coming young bassist from central New Jersey. Throughout his young career, he has had the honor of playing with some of his all-time heroes of jazz including Conrad Herwig, Clarence Penn, Mark Whitfield, Abraham Burton, Dave Stryker, Jerry Weldon, Eric McPherson, and Winard Harper. He performs in many different styles with an assortment of groups inside and outside of the jazz realm, at venues across the Tri-State area such as NYC, Philadelphia, New Brunswick, Princeton, and Long Beach Island. In 2022 Graham graduated from Rutgers University Magna Cum Laude, and since has been active playing weddings for Hank Lane Entertainment, freelancing in the greater NYC area, and in the Broadway scene, including playing and copy work for the hit Off-Broadway production Plays for the Plague Year, and subbing regularly at the musical productions of Lion King and Wicked.
RICHARD LAROUECH
William Patterson
Richard LaRouech – William Patterson
Hailing from Buffalo, New York, Richard LaRouech’s talents are gaining recognition around the New York Metropolitan area. He began his musical endeavors studying classical trombone at the age of nine. It was not until his high school years that he obtained a strong passion for jazz music, learning from one of Buffalo’s finest trombonists, John Hasselback.
While Richard’s primary area of study is jazz, he does not put labels on the styles of music he plays and enjoys. He has had experience participating in multiple orchestras around the Western New York area, including the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. He also rounds out the horn section in a popular Buffalo reggae ska band, Part-Time Genius.
Richard is approaching his senior year at William Paterson University of New Jersey, studying Jazz Trombone Performance and Music Education. He is under the tutelage of some of New York City’s jazz luminaries, including Bill Charlap, Jeremy Pelt, and John Mosca. He regularly performs with William Paterson University ensembles, was featured on WBGO, and performs shows at Dizzy’s Club in NYC. Richard’s talents have also been recognized on the international stage, being selected as a finalist for the International Trombone Association’s Carl Fontana Competition to be held in July of this year.
ERIC LAW
Frost School of Music
University of Miami
Eric Law – Frost School of Music
Originally from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Eric started playing the piano at the age of 9 before picking up the clarinet and soon after, the saxophone, in middle school. He continued playing throughout high school while learning from some of the foremost educators in the North Carolina scene before moving to East Lansing, Michigan where he would continue his education at Michigan State University. In 2022, Eric graduated from MSU with a Bachelor’s in Music while studying under saxophonist Diego Rivera. He is now pursuing a Master’s in Music at the University of Miami where he studies with Marcus Strickland.
Eric has performed on stages across the United States and around the world. In 2022, he toured across the United Kingdom with Michael Buble and his orchestra, and in 2019 performed in Tokyo and Kanazawa, Japan with the Michigan State Jazz Orchestra. He has had the opportunity to play alongside some of his mentors and heroes as well. Including performances with Rodney Whitaker, Etienne Charles and Creole Soul, the Michael Dease Quintet, Xavier Davis, and Randy Napoleon at venues across the state of Michigan such as the Detroit Jazz Festival, Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe, and Blue Llama Jazz Club.
VERONICA LEAHY
Berklee College of Music
Veronica Leahy – Berklee College of Music
Veronica Leahy is a recent graduate of the dual degree program between Harvard College and Berklee College of Music. She is a composer, saxophonist/multi-woodwindist, pianist, arranger, conductor, and music director across a range of genres. As a saxophonist, Veronica has appeared with artists such as NEA Jazz Master Terri Lyne Carrington, Jon Batiste and Stay Human, Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Danilo Perez, and Christian Sands. She is an active member of Berklee’s Jazz and Gender Justice Institute and served as the lead alto player in Berklee’s premiere big band. In high school, she received national recognition in both classical and jazz saxophone through her selection in ensembles such as the 2018 Grammy Jazz Band, the 2018 National YoungArts Foundation jazz combo, and the 2017 and 2018 Honor Band of America. She has performed at venues such as Lincoln Center, Birdland, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, The Iridium, Scullers, Feinstein’s 54 Below, the Monterey Jazz Festival, and the Ravinia Festival. Veronica is also the founder, artistic director, and producer of the Harvard Composer’s Festival (CompFest), bringing together student and world-renowned composers alike to share and discuss their original pieces.
ADAM LORD
Frost School of Music
University of Miami
Adam Lord – Frost School of Music
Orlando-born multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer Adam Lord is a student at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music, currently studying saxophone under Marcus Strickland. Adam started playing the saxophone at fourteen years old and received national recognition from the likes of YoungArts, the DownBeat Student Music Awards and Music For All’s Jazz Band of America just three years later. Since then, he has earned the privilege of working and performing with some of the greatest jazz musicians of our time including Miguel Zenón, Brian Lynch, Chucho Valdés, Stephen Scott and Billy Hart.
Majoring in Modern Artist Development and Entrepreneurship (M.A.D.E) and minoring in the Music Industry, Adam is also a member of the Stamps Jazz Quintet and has worked under the direction of Chuck Bergeron, Etienne Charles, Dafnis Prieto and Brian Lynch. After college, he plans on pursuing a career in concert promotion, venue operations and festival management with the goal of eventually creating his own music festival.
WADE McCLUNG
Eastman School of Music
Wade McClung – Eastman School of Music
Raised in Boulder, Colorado, guitarist, composer, and educator Wade McClung began playing guitar at age 7. By 16, Wade was fully immersed in the Boulder/Denver Jazz scene, joining the Colorado Conservatory of Jazz Arts, and playing in small groups led by Mark Simon and Brad Goode, while also studying Jazz and Brazilian music with Bill Kopper, of the University of Colorado – Denver, as well as Brazilian virtuoso guitarist Alessandro Penezzi.
In 2018, Wade was selected to attend the Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Summer Jazz Academy, where he learned from jazz heavyweights like Marcus Printup, Helen Sung, Rodney Whitaker, and James Chirillo, working with each faculty artist in small groups, big bands, and private instruction.
Wade recently earned a bachelor’s degree in jazz performance from the Eastman School of Music, where he studied primarily with guitarist Bob Sneider, though he also continued his pursuit of Brazilian and classical music with the classical guitar department, led by Nicholas Goluses. While at Eastman, Wade played with the award-winning Eastman Jazz Ensemble for two years under the direction of Bill Dobbins, and performed in small groups led by Gary Versace, Clay Jenkins, and Jeff Campbell. He has also studied with the distinguished New York City-based guitarist Peter Mazza.
Currently, Wade lives in Rochester New York, and he performs throughout upstate New York with several jazz, pop, indie, folk, and rock bands in numerous venues and festivals, including the CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival, Geneva Jazz Festival, Corn Hill Festival, and the Lilac Festival. He has also appeared with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition to maintaining a busy performance schedule, Wade teaches guitar at Hobart & William Smith Colleges in Geneva NY.
HENRY MOHR
Frost School of Music
University of Miami
Henry Mohr – Frost School of Music
Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Henry started playing drums at the age of 10. He attended Roosevelt High School and played in the jazz band that won the 2019 Essentially Ellington Jazz Festival. The band also performed internationally at the Montreux Jazz Festival and the North Sea Jazz Festival. Now 22, Henry is completing his studies at the Frost School of Music studying with Harvel Nakundi. Henry is the drummer for the Frost Concert Jazz Band directed by Grammy Award-winner John Daversa. As a member of the Concert Jazz Band, he has performed with Regina Carter, Terell Stafford, and Dick Oatts. Henry also plays regularly as a sideman in Miami, most notably as a member of the Eric Stern Quintet.
JOSHUA POLION
Frost School of Music
University of Miami
Joshua Polion – Frost School of Music
Joshua Polion is a jazz trumpeter from Louisville, Kentucky. He said is a graduate of DuPont Manual and the Youth Performing Arts School, a renowned magnet school in the state of Kentucky. Joshua has been playing trumpet for 9 years and has had many successes in music. He is a rising Junior at the University of Miami with a Double Major in Jazz Performance and Music Business. He has played with a variety of ensembles and groups. A few of Joshua’s accomplishments include 2 years as the Lead Trumpet of the Kentucky All-State Jazz Band, attending Berklee College of Music’s 5-week Jazz Workshop Summer Program, and performing at Dizzy’s Club with the Stamps Jazz Quintet.
DAVID RICE
University of North Texas
David “DJ” Rice – UNT
DJ Rice is an active trombonist, educator, composer, and arranger in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
He is a current Teaching Fellow at the University of North Texas, studying Jazz Composition and Arranging under Rich DeRosa. His responsibilities include directing the Six O’Clock Lab Band, teaching the fundamental Jazz Arranging classes. DJ was a finalist in the 2023 American Trombone Workshop Solo Jazz Competition. He served as a faculty member for the 2022 Texas All Star Jazz Camp, where he taught studio classes, ran sectionals, and played lead trombone in the faculty big band. He also placed 2nd Place in the 2021 UNT Jazz Trombone Day Competition. DJ recently won the Grand Prize for his original composition, “Song for Renel” in the 2021 International Youth Music Composition Competition. He has written music for modern jazz greats including Nick Finzer, Rob Parton, and Michael Dease, as well as the 2022 International Trombone Festival. He has performed and recorded with high level musicians such as Christine Jensen, Sean Jones, and Roger Ingram.
DJ attended Michigan State University from 2019-2020, where he studied with Michael Dease. co-directing the MSU Jazz Orchestra II and Jazz Octet III. DJ was a finalist and co-winner of the 2020 International Trombone Association J.J. Johnson Jazz Trombone Competition during this time. He assisted Nick Finzer with the annual Jazz Trombone Boot Camp starting in the summer of 2020.
From 2014-2019, DJ primarily studied jazz trombone with Tony Baker and Nick Finzer. DJ also played jazz trombone and euphonium in the 2018 Disney All-American College Band.
He played in the internationally recognized U-Tubes Jazz Trombone Ensemble from 2015-2019 and the One O’Clock Lab Band on jazz trombone from 2017-2019. As a member of the U-Tubes, he helped them win the American Trombone Workshop Jazz Ensemble Competition in 2016 and 2019.
BANKS SAPNAR
Temple University
Banks Sapnar – Temple University
Banks Sapnar is a Philadelphia-based trumpet player, composer and arranger. Growing up in southern New Jersey, he studied with legendary Philadelphia saxophonist Larry McKenna. Banks is currently a student of Terell Stafford at Temple University, and is a member of the college’s premiere jazz ensemble, the Temple University Jazz Band. He has performed with the band at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago, as well as the Kimmel Center, Jazz At Lincoln Center’s Jack Rudin Jazz Championship, Dizzy’s Club, and the Appel Room. Banks’s composition “Red Braid” was performed at Jazz at Lincoln Center in 2023, and will be performed again and recorded on the university’s upcoming album. In addition to the upcoming album, Banks has recorded on two other records “Covid Sessions: A Social Call” and “Without You, No Me”. Banks has shared the stage with musicians such as Wallace Roney, Tim Warfield, Dick Oatts, Marshall Gilkes, Wycliffe Gordon, Sean Jones, Joey DeFrancesco, Christian McBride, and Terell Stafford.
KOLBE SCHNOEBELEN
University of Iowa
Kolbe Schnoebelen
Kolbe is a Junior at The University of Iowa and is pursuing his B.M. in Trombone Performance and B.B.A. in Accounting. Originally from Iowa City, IA, Kolbe currently serves as Principal Trombonist of The University of Iowa Symphony Band and the Lead Chair in Johnson County Landmark. Outside of the university, Kolbe serves as the Principal Trombonist in the Iowa Brass Band, performing locally and competitively at The Gateway Brass Band Competition in St. Louis. Since the summer of 2021, Kolbe has toured with the Newman Singers and Ensemble as the hired trombonist, traveling to cities such as New Orleans, San Antonio, Louisville, Kansas City, and St. Louis. Kolbe is also a member of the Clinton Street Quartet and the Iowa Brass Trio. In addition, Kolbe is a founding member of the 5K Jazz Quintet, which was featured by KCCK jazz radio. In 2023, as a member of the West Slides Quartet, the group advanced as a semifinalist in the Thailand International Trombone Festival Ensemble Division. In the summer of 2023, Kolbe will compete as a semifinalist in both the solo and excerpt competitions at the Southeast Trombone Symposium. Kolbe was also selected as a member of both the 2020 Jazz Band of America and the 2020 Honor Band of America.
VIVIAN SHANLEY
Lawrence University
Vivian Shanley – Lawrence University
Vivian Shanley is a double bassist and educator from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She is currently in her first year at Lawrence University (Appleton, WI), studying music education, double bass performance, and jazz studies, and her teachers include Mark Urness, Bill Carrothers, José Encarnación, and Patty Darling. In high school, Vivian received a DownBeat Student Music Award for her original composition, “Ideal Realism,” earned two YoungArts awards for jazz double bass, and won the Mary Ann Fischer scholarship from the Jazz Education Network. She was also a member of the Honor Orchestra of America, a three-year member of the Iowa All-State Jazz Band, and was principal bass of the Iowa All-State Orchestra for three years. After college, Vivian plans to pursue a career in music education and performance.
KEVIN VENIER
Frost School of Music
University of Miami
Kevin Venier – Frost School of Music
Born and raised in the province of Udine, Italy, Kevin is an international guitarist with a diverse range of musical influences. He started playing the drums at the age of 4 and classical guitar at the age of 6. He graduated in jazz guitar performance with a minor in classical guitar from the “J. Tomadini” Conservatory of Udine, where he developed his unique style of playing influenced by different European styles such as flamenco, gipsy jazz, and Balkan music.
In 2022, Kevin was awarded one of two Italian Fulbright Scholarships for the arts to study abroad in the USA, which he considers the biggest highlight of his career so far. Currently, he is pursuing a master’s degree in Jazz Guitar Performance at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, where he is continuing to expand his knowledge and skills and hopes to become a cultural ambassador for his country.
With performance experience throughout Italy and Europe, Kevin has had the opportunity to receive education and play with renowned musicians such as Alfonso Deidda, Glauco Venier, Jihye Lee, and Regina Carter.
RYLAN VILLAREAL
University of North Texas
Rylan Villareal – UNT
Rylan Villarreal is an established and award-winning Baritone Saxophonist, pianist, and Multi-instrumentalist in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, performing Jazz, Classical, and Contemporary music with many of the top bands in Texas. Rylan currently attends the University of North Texas, studying Jazz Performance. Rylan has been a member of the award-winning UNT Latin Jazz Band, the 2 o’clock lab band, and the UNT saxophone quartet under the direction of Dr. Eric Nestler. Rylan is a trusted first-call Baritone Saxophonist in the Dallas area.
Rylan has performed and recorded with the UNT Symphony Orchestra and with Grammy-Award-winning Kurt Elling. Rylan is routinely called to perform with top orchestras in the DFW area.
Rylan’s recognition and awards started at a young age in the DFW area, where he routinely placed Regional and Area First Chair for baritone saxophone in Classical and Jazz performances as part of the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) competitions throughout his middle and high school career. Rylan was selected two years in a row to the All-State TMEA Jazz Bands where he placed and performed as the Top Jazz Baritone Saxophonist in the State of Texas during his final year of high school.
Rylan is a DownBeat Student Award-Winning Baritone Saxophonist and Bass Clarinetist for his performances with the UNT Jazz Latin Band.
KEVIN ZAPATA
Frost School of Music
University of Miami
Kevin Zapata – University of Miami
Kevin Zapata (1996) is a trumpet player and composer/arranger. Originally from Nederland, TX, he attended the University of North Texas studying Jazz Trumpet under Rodney Booth, Tanya Darby, and Phillip Dizack while also learning composition under Rich DeRosa. Kevin has had the opportunity to play and write for many artists and groups such as Catherine Russell, René Marie, Tom Scott, Willy Chirino, Brubeck Brothers Quartet, One O’Clock Lab Band, Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra, Stephen Guerra Big Band, Frost Concert Jazz Band, Courtney Wright Jazz Orchestra, Army Jazz Ambassadors, Air National Guard Band of the Southwest and more.
Kevin is currently a Master’s student at the University of Miami studying Studio Jazz Writing under Stephen Guerra and is a member of the Frost Studio Jazz Band under the direction of Etienne Charles. His upcoming album “Dark Matters” will be a debut release that delves into the different types of darknesses of humanity, slated to release in 2023.