Charlie Apicella studied composition and improvisation with musical titans Yusef Lateef and Pat Martino and was trained as a historian by Archie Shepp and Dr. Billy Taylor. Apicella has performed concerts and recorded with jazz legends Dave Holland, Sonny Fortune, John Blake, Jr., and Avery Sharpe, and was voted onto the 84th and 86th DownBeat Readers Poll for Guitar. In addition to his work with the estate of Yusef Lateef, has received numerous grants for his work preserving Ma Rainey‘s Legacy in collaboration with the Ma Rainey House Museum – Columbus, GA. Charlie Apicella is the founder and Program Director of BLUES ALIVE: Ancestral Voices of the Blues. He is Vice President of Education for NORTH JERSEY BLUES SOCIETY and serves on the Generation Blues education committee at THE BLUES FOUNDATION in Memphis, TN. 

Todd Barkan’s name is inextricably associated with one of the nation’s legendary jazz clubs: the Keystone Korner, a San Francisco venue he had opened in 1972 and then managed for more than a decade. While that alone would make him a significant figure in the jazz world, he also worked as a record producer, for labels such as Fantasy/Milestone, Concord, 32 Records, and HighNote. His love of jazz, respect for the music and its practitioners, and knack for curating exciting live performances served him well in his subsequent capacity at Jazz at Lincoln Center and now at the Keystone Korner Baltimore. Barkan is the recipient of the 2018 A.B. Spellman NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship for Jazz Advocacy. Barkan was born in Nebraska but was raised and educated in Columbus, Ohio, where he developed an interest in jazz as a teenager. He took piano lessons from David Wheeler and Don Patterson, planning on a career in jazz. He also became friends with jazz legend Rahsaan Roland Kirk, whom Barkan considered his musical mentor. Barkan first started producing jazz concerts in 1964 while attending Oberlin College in Ohio. By 1968, he had relocated to San Francisco, working by day as a customs broker and by night as pianist for the Latin jazz band Kwane & The Kwan-Ditos. An inquiry to perform at the bar and live-music venue Keystone Korner proved life-changing as Barkan ended up buying the place and turning it into what pianist Mary Lou Williams once hailed as “the Birdland of the 70s." During that time, Barkan presented artists and produced dozens of highly acclaimed live recordings at his club. In addition, he worked as a booking agent, setting up West Coast tours for jazz legends.Following the club’s closure in 1983, Barkan relocated to New York City to work as a record producer for labels in the U.S. and Japan. During 1985-90, he was the manager of the Boys Choir of Harlem, setting up a program that showcased jazz musicians as guest soloists with the choir. In 2001, Barkan was hired as Jazz at Lincoln Center’s artistic administrator by Wynton Marsalis. He stayed with the organization for more than a decade, serving as programming director and emcee for its Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola venue from 2004 to 2012. In 2013, Barkan co-produced the Keystone Korner Concert Series at the Iridium as well as WBGO‘s jazz series at 54 Below, both clubs in New York City. In 2014, he helped establish the Sea of Jazz Festival in Pompano Beach, Florida. Barkan received a 2015 Grammy Award for Latin Jazz Album of the Year as co-producer of The Offense of the Drum by Arturo O'Farrill & the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra. Barkan continues to work as a lecturer, record producer, and curator of live jazz events.

Angélika Beener is the producer and host of Milestones: Celebrating the Culture, a podcast in partnership with WBGO that explores landmark albums, people, and events shaping music and culture. Her writing and commentary have appeared in TIDAL, The New York Times, NPR Music, DownBeat, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and The Huffington Post. She has also contributed liner notes, essays, and biographies to numerous acclaimed recording projects, including GRAMMY®-winning and nominated albums. Her work examines music at the intersections of race, gender, and generation and has been recognized by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the New York Association of Black Journalists. Angélika has moderated and participated in conversations presented by the Apollo Theater, Winter JazzFest, The Greene Space, and NJPAC, and has appeared on WGBH’s Under the Radar and NJ PBS’s Chat Box. She has emceed the Jazz Journalists Association Awards three times and co-hosted the Jazz Foundation of America’s Spotlight Jazz gala with Danny Glover. In 2022, she directed and co-produced Represent! A Night of Hip Hop, Jazz and Spoken Word at NJPAC with Christian McBride. As a DJ, she has performed at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and SummerStage. She recently produced Strata-East: The Legacy Begins, a documentary honoring the historic Black independent jazz label. Angélika is a New York City native, equity advocate, and proud mom.

Benny Benack III has quickly become a leading voice in Jazz for his generation, headlining clubs and festivals around the world on the heels of his latest critically acclaimed live album “This Is The Life” which has been garnering thousands of streams and topping the JazzWeek Radio Charts. He is the rare talent who is just as formidable as a fiery trumpeter ranging from Freddie Hubbard to Louis Armstrong and everyone in between, while as a singer he delivers sly, mature, naturally expressive post-Sinatra vocal stylings. His sophomore album “A Lot of Livin’ to Do” (2020) featured the likes of bass luminary Christian McBride, achieving viral online fame w/his vocalese rendition of "Social Call" ft. Veronica Swift that's been transcribed and covered by singers around the world. He has crooned his way to millions of more listeners alongside groups such as the Grammy-winning “8-Bit Big Band” and YouTube sensation “Postmodern Jukebox”. His (2023) album “Third Time’s the Charm” went all the way to #2 on the charts and featured a veritable line-up of special guests including Peter Bernstein, Bria Skonberg, Chad LB & more. His double-threat credentials were first apparent when he was a finalist in the 2014 Thelonius Monk Competition on trumpet, and then won Third Place in the 2021 Sarah Vaughan Vocal Competition. His resume for both was recently bolstered by Downbeat Magazine’s Readers Poll for 2025, where he placed #1 for Rising Star Male Vocalist and was also #8 for Rising Star Trumpet. His global recognition has been bolstered through his collaborations with the GRAMMY-award winning “8-Bit Big Band” and touring with Postmodern Jukebox. The recent advent of live-streaming concerts has been a boon as well, both through his residency at Smalls Jazz Club, as well as frequent appearances at fellow superstar Emmet Cohen’s “Emmet’s Place” online series. He has arrived as one of the most in-demand touring artists and music educators in the Jazz world, with a never-ending intercontinental schedule that reflects his indefatigable love for the music, with his smile and panache on full-display wherever it takes him next.

John Bishop has been a primary voice in Northwest jazz for over four decades as a a drummer, record label owner, graphic designer, educator, and festival presenter . He’s performed with Sonny Fortune, Lee Konitz, Slide Hampton, Benny Golson, Chano Dominguez, Bobby Hutcherson, Dr. Lonnie Smith, and countless others. He’s appeared on more than 100 records, was inducted into the Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame in 2008, and named a “Jazz Hero” by the Jazz Journalists Association in 2019. Bishop recorded and toured with pianist Hal Galper’s Trio from 2006-2020 and he continues long associations with various groups, including SCENES (with John Stowell and Jeff Johnson), and his 2023 trio recording “Antwerp,” celebrated 15-years of collaboration with Belgian musicians Bram Weijters & Piet Verbist. Earlier, his trio of 25 years, New Stories with Marc Seales and Doug Miller, played extensively with Ernie Watts, Mark Murphy & Larry Coryell, including on a Grammy-nominated RCA release with Mark Murphy. In 1997, Bishop founded Origin Records - soon after adding OA2 Records and Origin Classical - which now has a catalog of over 850 recordings by 350 artists. Through his firm OriginArts, Bishop designs all the packaging along with other visual projects for clients around the globe. He also co-founded Seattle’s annual 4-day Ballard Jazz Festival in 2003 with his former drum student Matt Jorgensen. Bishop was on faculty at the University of Washington, and over the last 20 years presented numerous clinics with Hal Galper at the University of North Texas, Indiana, Dartmouth, The New School, Purchase Conservatory, Louisville, The Jazz School-Berkeley and many others.

Larry Blumenfeld has written regularly about jazz and Afro-Latin music for The Wall Street Journal since 2004. His work has also appeared in The Village Voice, The New York Times, The Nation, NPR and Daily Beast, among other publications and websites. He has twice received the Jazz Journalists Association’s Helen Dance-Robert Palmer Award for Writing, and he was the 2019 Jeanette K. Watson Distinguished Visiting Professor in the Humanities at Syracuse University. He founded and hosted the long-running series “Jazz and Social Justice,” at the National Jazz Museum in Harlem; is Editorial Director for Chamber Music America, and curates the Wells Fargo Jazz Series of Spoleto Festival USA and the Deer Isle Jazz Festival in Stonington, Maine. He lives, writes and plays basketball in Brooklyn, NY. 

Gail Boyd is President of Gail W. Boyd, P.C., an entertainment law firm, and Gail Boyd Artist Management LLC. She is a graduate of De Paul University and De Paul University School of Law. She was a founding partner in Boyd, Staton and Cave, the first African American female law firm in New York. Gail has been involved in entertainment law since 1976. She has been involved specifically in music with a specialty in jazz since 1979.  Currently, she is an Adjunct Professor of Law at the Washington College of Law where she teaches Entertainment Law. Gail presently serves on the Boards of the Pan African Center for Empowerment, the Martin Luther King/Coretta Scott King Memorial, The International Society of Jazz Composers and Arrangers, The Heart of Jazz Foundation. In October 2019, she was elected President of the North American Performing Arts Managers and Agents (NAPAMA) and served three terms. She is the former Vice Chair of the Entertainment, Sports, and Art Law Committee of the National Bar Association. She also chaired the Entertainment, Sports, Art Law Committee of the Metropolitan Black Bar Association and served as a member of the New York State Bar Association’s Committee on Entertainment Law. She served on the Board of WBGO FM Radio in New York as well as the Noel Pointer Foundation. For nearly 20 years, she served as Chair of the Board of Brooklyn Legal Services. In 2017, Gail formed a Facebook Group entitled “Alternative Venues for Jazz”. When the pandemic of Covid-19 hit in 2020, Gail converted the page to a virtual meeting space, where musicians and industry professionals come on to the page to share their journey. The page now boasts nearly 11,000 members. As a result, Gail was named by the Jazz Journalists Association as a “Jazz Hero”, was named “A Woman of Influence” by WBGO Radio and was nominated for the Sidney R. Yates Award for Outstanding Advocacy on behalf of the Performing Arts by the Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP). In 2020, Gail joined promoters Danny Melnick and Brice Rosenbloom and created the Jazz Coalition which funded 104 commissions to jazz artists to compose music inspired by the pandemic and later social and racial justice. She also joined The Blacksmiths which created individual and organizational pledges and resources for artists and arts organizations on topics of racial justice. Gail co-founded, along with her long-time friend Karen Kennedy, a consulting company entitled Vanguard Arts which serves arts organizations and artists. Current artists on Gail’s roster include: John Clayton, Don Braden, Mark Ruffin, Karrin Allyson, Angie Wells,  and together with Karen Kennedy, Soul Science Lab and Sounds of April and Randall. 

Guillermo E. Brown is a performer and artist who appeared most recently at Park Avenue Armory with his audio-visual gong drum “The Instrument” (curated by Jason Moran), as a smiley face for Quip toothbrushes and over 1,000 shows as the drummer in the house band of Emmy-winning “The Late Late Show with James Corden” on CBS, with Reggie Watts. In addition he is featured on over 50 full length recordings, and has appeared live, recorded and as drummer-vocalist-electronics/collaborator with David S. Ware, William Parker, Matthew Shipp, Vijay Iyer, Mike Ladd, Roy Campbell, Anti-Pop Consortium, Anthony Braxton, DJ Spooky, El-P, Carl Hancock Rux, Vernon Reid, DJ Logic, Latasha Diggs, Dave Burrell, George E. Lewis, Mendi&Keith Obadike, Victor Gama, Arto Lindsay, Spoek Mathambo, Jamie Lidell, Saul Williams, CANT, Mocky, Twin Shadow, Grisha Coleman, Nia Andrews and Tunde Adebimpe, among others. His own projects include Pegasus Warning, Flavourette (a horns project with Cochemea Gastelum, Ray Mason and Ibanda Ruhumbika ), and Wierdband (with Suphala). A graduate of Wesleyan University (BA) and Bard College (MFA), Brown was adjunct professor at NYU's Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music and Gallatin School & Artist-in-Residence at PNCA. He has given talks at Princeton, LACC, CalArts, and LIU. He is a recipient of an inaugural Doris Duke Foundation Performing Arts Technologies Lab grant for The Instrument, a Creative Capital Award and MAP Fund in Performing Arts for Bee Boy, and a recipient of  Harvestworks’ New Works Residency and Van Lier Fellowship. In Feb. ’26 he presents work-in-progress of Bee Boy/Romance/The Instrument presented by The Industry at REDCAT.

Terri Lyne Carrington is an NEA Jazz Master, Doris Duke Artist, and four-time Grammy award-winning drummer, composer, producer, and educator. She serves as Founder and Artistic Director of the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice, as well Artistic Director for both Next Jazz Legacy program (a collaboration with New Music USA) and the Carr Center in Detroit, MI. She has performed on more than 100 recordings over her 40-year career and has toured and recorded with luminaries such as Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Stan Getz, Esperanza Spalding, and numerous others. Her artistry and commitment to education has earned her honorary doctorates from York University, Manhattan School of Music and Berklee College of Music, and her curatorial work and music direction has been featured in many prestigious institutions internationally. The critically acclaimed 2019 release, Waiting Game, from Terri Lyne Carrington + Social Science earned the esteemed Edison Award for music and a Grammy nomination. In fall of 2022, she authored two books, Three of a Kind (about the forming of the Allen Carrington Spalding trio) and the seminal songbook collection, New Standards: 101 Lead Sheets By Women Composers. This book was accompanied by the album new STANDARDS vol.1 (Candid Records) which won the GRAMMY® Award for the best jazz instrumental album, and New Standards art installation, at Detroit’s Carr Center and the Emerson Contemporary Media Art Gallery, as part of the Jazz Without Patriarchy Project.

Ron Carter is among the most original, prolific, and influential bassists in jazz and has played on seminal albums in many other genres. He has recorded over 2200 albums, and has a Guinness world record to prove it! In Jazz: From 1963 to 1968, he was a member of the acclaimed Miles Davis Quintet. He can be heard on many iconic jazz records of the 60’s and 70’s such as Speak No Evil, Maiden Voyage, Speak Like a Child, Red Clay to name a few. In other music genres: After leaving the quintet he embarked on a prolific 50-year free-lance career that spanned vastly different music genres and continues to this day. He recorded with Roberta Flack and Aretha Franklin, with Gil Scott Heron on Pieces of a Man, appeared on the seminal hip-hop album Low End Theory with a Tribe Called Quest, played on albums by Billy Joel, Bette Midler, Paul Simon and more and wrote and recorded pieces for string quartets and Bach chorales for 2-8 basses. As a leader: Carter has spent at least half the year on worldwide tours with his various groups. The Ron Carter Trio, The Ron Carter Foursight Quartet, the Ron Carter Nonet and Ron Carter’s Great Big Band. He has recorded multiple albums with his groups. As an author: Carter shares his expertise in the series of books he authored, where he explains his creative process and teaches bassists of all levels to improve their skills and develop their own unique sound. He also penned his autobiography “Finding the Right Notes”. In 2021 he pioneered a new type of music transcription with Chartography, showing not only the bass line but also how the band responded and how the entire tune transformed over time. As a teacher: He was Artistic Director of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Studies while it was located in Boston and, after 18 years on the faculty of the Music Department of The City College of New York, he is now Distinguished Professor Emeritus. He also taught at the Juilliard School and and at Manhattan School of Music. Awards and Honorifics: He is a 3-time Grammy winner, was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette for his contributions to Japan-US relations, the medallion and title of Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters by France, numerous MVP and Outstanding Bassist awards by the music press. He has 7 honorary doctorates from Juilliard, Berklee, University of Michigan, New England Conservatory, Clark University, Manhattan School of Music and University of Rochester. Film appearances: In October 2022 PBS released a full-length feature film documentary called Ron Carter Finding the Right Notes about Carter’s life and legend. He appeared as himself on an episode of HBO’s Treme and in Round Midnight, among others.

Etienne Charles is a performer, composer and storyteller, who is constantly searching for untold tales and sounds with which to tell them. His lush trumpet sound, varied compositional textures and pulsating grooves enable him to invoke trance, soothing and exciting listeners while referencing touchy, sometimes controversial subjects in his music. Charles' work is actively connecting the African diaspora and drawing lines to the regions at the roots of migrations, evident in his latest release, Creole Orchestra which spent 7 consecutive weeks at #1 on jazzweek radio chart eventually being named #1 album for 2024 (jazzweek.com). His dedication to music as a tool for social uplift has seen him awarded by France with the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres medal (2024) as well as by the United States with a Congressional Citation (2012). As a sideman he has performed with and/or arranged for Roberta Flack, Chucho Valdes, Marcus Roberts, Marcus Miller, Count Basie Orchestra, Frank Foster’s Loud Minority Big Band, Monty Alexander, Gregory Porter, Terri Lyne Carrington, René Marie, Paulette McWilliams and many others.  He has been commissioned as a composer and arranger by Lincoln Center for the New York Philharmonic (2021), Savannah Music Festival (2017), Chamber Music America (2015 & 2021),  the Airmen of Note, the Charleston Jazz Orchestra (2012) and the Chicago Jazz Ensemble (2011). He currently serves as Professor of Studio Music and Jazz at University of Miami Frost School of Music.

David Demsey is Professor of Music and Jazz Studies Coordinator Emeritus at William Paterson University, having retired in September after 33 years of leadership there. He is curator of the William Paterson Living Jazz Archives, housing the collections of Clark Terry, Thad Jones, Michael Brecker, Lee Konitz, Art Farmer, James Williams, Jim McNeely, Don Sebesky, and others. He transcribed and published Thad Jones Anthology: 82 Small Group Jazz Compositions (JazzLines), he was Editorial Assistant for Michael Brecker Practice Notebooks (Sher Music), his “Improvisation and Concepts of Virtuosity” is the final essay in the Oxford Companion to Jazz, and he published John Coltrane Plays “Giant Steps” (Hal Leonard) and two books on composer Alec Wilder. His articles have appeared in Down Beat, Instrumentalist, Jazz Educators Journal, JazzED and Journal of Jazz Studies, and he wrote liner notes for five Verve compact discs. He is a saxophonist with the Phil Woods Big Band/Water Gap Jazz Orchestra, and has appeared with such artists as Clark Terry, bassists Milt Hinton and Rufus Reid, pianists Bill Charlap, Mulgrew Miller, James Williams and Jim McNeely. He has performed with the Metropolitan Opera since 1997, and with the New York Philharmonic since 1994 including three world tours and an all-Gershwin CD, and did six recordings with the American Saxophone Quartet and the New Hudson Saxophone Quartet. He is a Selmer Clinician and has been a guest artist at over 90 universities and public schools. His undergraduate degree is from the University of Maine; his graduate degrees are from the Eastman School of Music and the Juilliard School. He was inducted into the Down Beat Jazz Education Hall of Fame in 2024.

Marta Deus is an entrepreneur from Havana, Cuba. After studying Business Administration in Madrid, Marta returned to Havana to open her first business – Deus Expertos Contables – a business accounting firm. Deus focuses on Cuban private sector clients and entrepreneurs, helping primarily with tax and accounting, creating mipymes, but also business planning, marketing strategy, and relationship management with the institutions that govern the sector. Marta co-founded a digital magazine in Cuba – ‘Negolution’. Its vision is to inspire and promote Cuban entrepreneurs and their businesses, and develop the emerging concepts in Cuba of business incubation and mentorship. The magazine now provides a leading contribution to a start-up culture in Havana. The project is not just the magazine – Deus has developed a programme of start-up and tech-entrepreneurship events – like ‘The Week of Innovation’ and ‘The Hour of Code’, Ellas Hablan, Caribbean Creative Lab. She co-directs Jazzemprende, a festival that finds the common characteristics of jazz and entrepreneurship.Thirdly, she co-founded Cuba’s first delivery company. This ground-breaking start-up is now in the process of scaling up, having more than 190.000 app users and operating in 8 cities in Cuba. Marta is driven by a desire to see young people in Cuba, especially women, achieve their potential. She recognizes the considerable challenges that Cuban entrepreneurs face but believes that many of these challenges can be overcome with creativity and innovation. This approach, and Marta’s business success to date, has meant that she is also now a leading commentator on the Cuban private sector and economy.

Chanel Enriquez is the Managing Director of Kuumbwa Jazz Society.

Mike Flynn is an award-winning music journalist, magazine editor and a bass guitarist, best known for his role at the helm of Jazzwise magazine – the UK’s only print and digital jazz monthly and Europe’s leading English language jazz publication. Now based in the Cotswolds, southwest England, Flynn has been editor of Jazzwise since 2015, championing both emerging and established talent. He was previously jazz editor at Time Out magazine London, and has contributed to Bass Guitar Magazine, the London Evening Standard among other outlets. Flynn’s contributions to music journalism have earned him significant recognition. In 2010 he was named Jazz Journalist of the Year at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards. In May 2023, he was made an Honorary Associate of London’s Royal Academy of Music (RAM), after organising a collaboration between the RAM Jazz Big Band and Grammy-winning pianist Bill Laurance at Ronnie Scott’s as part of Jazzwise’s 25th Anniversary festival at the iconic club. Beyond print, Flynn has co-produced and written acclaimed radio programmes – including a BBC Radio 2 documentary on the 50th Anniversary of Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club (which won Gold at the New York Radio Awards) – and scripted a four-part series, Tony Bennett Presents the Great American Songbook, hosted by Sir Michael Parkinson. For eight years (2008–2015) he served as a judge on the prestigious Mercury Music Prize, championing jazz talent nationally. 

David K Freeman is Associate Educator, Creative Practice in Music at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and serves as an adjunct faculty member at Pace University’s Media Communications and Visual Arts Dept. where he teaches Jazz Music History, The Entertainment Industry, Writing for Print Media and Public Speaking. He is a National Advisory Committee member for the Teaching Artist Guild and served as the Education Director for Brooklyn Raga Massive from 2020 - 2023. He has traveled extensively to study music, including in the Dominican Republic and India. His work is infused with a passion for Jazz, Latin, and Folk music traditions. David is celebrating his latest album Gateway by Sha’ar and Puja with sitar player, Mustafa Bhagat. David continues to perform music from his 2018 release, Overview Effect. David is a founding member of The Biryani Boys, Sha’ar and the Outer Bridge Ensemble. He continues to collaborate on projects in the visual arts, dance, and film, including the composition and performance of original music for PBS' The Mind of a Chef and The Love Guru motion picture soundtrack. David has worked with notable artists such as Mike Myers (SNL), Chris Hajian, Douglas Keeve, Alan Cumming, Annie Lanzillotto, Jimmy Buffett, Billy Martin (MMW), James Zollar, Gwen Laster, Fast Forward, Brent Green, Paul Rucker, Stephen Chopek, Nadine LaFond, Alicia Jo Rabins, Daniel Saks, Wyndham Boylan-Garnett, Lou Guarneri among many others. Selected performances include Carnegie Hall, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Symphony Space, Joe's Pub, The Blue Note, The Stone, 55 Bar, Rockwood Music Hall, The Living Room, Jazz and Colors Festival, BRIC Arts, Roulette, ShapeShifter Lab, Brooklyn Bowl, Baby's All Right, Brooklyn Raga Massive, The Bearsville Theatre, Blues Alley, NJPAC, Grounds for Sculpture Park, Fine Art Museum Boston, The Contemporary Jewish Music (Radio CJM), Washington Jewish Music Festival, Chicago World Music Festival, Ottawa International Jazz Festival, Calgary International Jazz Festival, SaskTel Saskatchewan International Jazz Festival.

John Gilbreath recently retired as the executive director of Seattle's Earshot Jazz organization, where, since 1992, he produced well over 3,000 concerts and community-engagement programs, including 33 years of the annual Earshot Jazz Festival. Through a blessedly organic succession process, he has handed off artistic programming to former production lead, Halynn Blanchard. Gilbreath is a founding board member of the Western Jazz Presenters' Network, where he now serves as Executive Director. He also studies and teaches stone sculpture at Pratt Fine Arts in Seattle and is a long-time radio host in jazz and multi-genre music on both KBCS and KEXP in Seattle. 

Sam Gill is the President and CEO of the Doris Duke Foundation (DDF), whose mission is to build a more creative, equitable and sustainable future through work across three areas: Arts & Culture; Nature; and Health & Well-being. Prior to joining DDF in April 2021, Gill was senior vice president and chief program officer at the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, where he oversaw more than $100 million in annual grantmaking across the foundation’s programs.

Ludovico Granvassu is a New York–based jazz journalist, radio host, and concert curator whose work bridges the European and North American jazz communities. He is the founder and editor-in-chief of All About Jazz Italia and a longtime contributor to All About Jazz, where he has interviewed a wide range of influential artists on both sides of the Atlantic, including Bill Frisell, Randy Weston, Dave Douglas, Hal Willner, Pino Palladino, Camille Bertault and many others. He also hosts Mondo Jazz, a weekly radio program on Radio Free Brooklyn, and previously hosted Jazz with an Accent on WHRB. His broadcasting and writing are informed by sustained engagement with the international jazz ecosystem, with particular attention to artistic exchange, mobility, and cultural context. In parallel with his editorial work, he curates concert series in New York—most notably the Rizzoli Music Aperitivo and the InterContinental Club Sessions—presenting leading European and U.S. artists. He has also organized tours in Europe and the United States, frequently supporting the debut  European tours and concerts for artists like Ben Allison, Ralph Alessi, Michael Blake, Erik Friedlander, Rachel Garniez, Susie Ibarra, Kneebody, Michael Leonhart, Metalwood, Billy Mohler, and Matt Munisteri, and US tours for Carlo Actis Dato, and Ernst Reijseger.

Scott Hanley is General Manager of WZUM AM/FM, the Pittsburgh Jazz Channel (www.wzum.org) . He’s been in public radio for decades, working as a General Manager, journalist, technologist, fundraiser, marketer, on-air host, consultant and programmer. Hanley served on the NPR Board for 6 years and has held numerous other local and national service roles, including leader of the Jazz Radio Consortium for a dozen years starting in the late 1990’s, Board Chair of the Public Broadcasting Management Association, and President of the trade group the Pittsburgh Radio Organization. He’s currently President of the Association of Public Radio Engineers. Hanley has managed stations in Pittsburgh, Grand Rapids, MI, Omaha and Birmingham, AL. He teaches at the college level - including journalism, media production, media sales, media history and media law and regulation. He continues as an on-air voice for WZUM and the nationally distributed PubJazz service. A native of Detroit, Hanley is also an experienced vocalist, including years of training and performance in classical voice, musical theater and choral music. That upbringing also had him on trumpet and trombone, including as a student of trumpeter and educator E. Louis Smith (Blue Note, Steeplechase) as well as working with many other talented teachers and performers. Over his career, he has helped present scores of local, regional and national jazz artists, and also made his own recordings as a jazz vocalist, including duo dates with guitarist Gene Bertoncini and with pianist Oliver Jones (soon to be released). 

Sydney Hill is a digital marketing professional who has spent most of her career in the Jazz world – or at least in the Meta Business Suites of the Jazz world. Her work as a freelancer has allowed her to collaborate with many artists, labels and festivals including NYC Winter Jazzfest, the Ray Charles Foundation and Mack Avenue Records where she spent many formative years. She now works at Red Light Management with Christian McBride and his wonderful team as their Digital Marketing Manager. 

William Hill III is a pianist, composer, arranger, and bandleader from Detroit, Michigan. A graduate of the Detroit School of Arts, he is currently pursuing his baccalaureate at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music. Hill has participated in esteemed jazz programs such as Jazz House Kids, Jr. Jazz Academy at Lincoln Center, Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead, and the Conservatorium van Amsterdam Keeping an Eye Summer Jazz Workshop. He has earned accolades from the National Y oungArts Foundation, NAACP ACT-SO National Competition, and the West Virginia University International Jazz Piano Competition. He has worked with and been mentored by renowned artists, including Marc Cary, Jazzmeia Horn, Christian McBride, Wynton Marsalis, Jason Moran, Joe Farnsworth, Buster Williams, and many others. His performances as a headliner and sideman span major venues such as the Detroit Jazz Festival, Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Smalls Jazz Club, Mezzrow Jazz Club, Minton’s Playhouse, the Kennedy Center, Blue Note Tokyo, and Esplande-Theatres on the Bay, Singapore . Hill recently recorded and released his sophomore album, “Keep it Movin’” in summer of 2025. Through his music, Hill strives to spread joy and inspire audiences worldwide.

Willard Jenkins is an independent arts consultant, concerts and festivals artistic director/curator, producer, writer and editor under his Open Sky banner.  Willard Jenkins’ current activity includes festival, and concert series planning/development, artistic direction/curating, arts organization and artist consulting, music journalism/editing, teaching, script writing, and broadcast work. In 2024 Willard Jenkins received the prestigious National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Jazz Masters A.B. Spellman award for his career work as a jazz advocate.

Justin Kauflin is an award-winning, American "jazz pianist who favors a clarity of touch and ideas ... his writing is balanced, tempering post bop tendencies with the assurances of the gospel church" -New York Times.  As leader, player, composer, and producer, Justin Kauflin has released 10 recordings to date and collaborated on over 30 projects which includes performing on Oscar Peterson's personal Bosendorfer for Oscar, with Love.  For 10 years, Justin has worked and toured under the management of Quincy Jones and Quincy Jones Productions. In addition to his performances, Kauflin is involved in sound design and film scoring, composing original soundtracks for several documentaries, ads, trailers and contributed to several movies. Justin is featured in, as well as composed the film score for, the Academy Award short-listed documentary, Keep On Keepin' On, which honors his mentor, the late legendary jazz trumpet/flugelhorn player, Clark Terry.

Maurine Knighton is the chief program officer at the Doris Duke Foundation, overseeing the foundation’s five national grantmaking programs: Arts, Environment, Medical Research, Child Well-Being and Building Bridges. Maurine joined the foundation in 2016 as program director for the arts, leading the development and oversight of grantmaking programs to support artists and organizations in the contemporary dance, theater, jazz and presenting fields and working to advance efforts to make the performing arts more inclusive, innovative and equitable. Prior to the Doris Duke Foundation, she was the senior vice president for grantmaking at the Nathan Cummings Foundation and held many other nonprofit and philanthropy roles, including in the arts. 

Kyle Knoke has spent more than two decades championing artists — visual and performative, emerging and established alike. A jazz fan since infancy, his musical sensibility was shaped by parents spinning the likes of Cannonball Adderley, Nancy Wilson, Ella Fitzgerald, and Dave Brubeck. He is the artistic director and host of Jazz Coterie, a monthly pop-up concert series in Central Wisconsin that, in five years' time, has presented a remarkably distinguished lineup of talent given its remote location — from rising stars to Grammy winners. In recent years, Kyle has focused on collaboration with neighboring presenters and educational institutions, taking pride in creating meaningful, well-supported experiences for artists willing to venture to far-flung destinations. As such, he is a founding board member of the Midwest Jazz Collective. Kyle also serves as creative director at Allen/James Design, a marketing communications agency, and as programming director of the Carlsten Art Gallery at the University of Wisconsin.

Lydia Liebman is an award-winning publicist and promoter specializing in jazz and other creative music. She is the founder and president of Lydia Liebman Promotions, a leading PR agency based in New York City. Liebman began LLP in her Boston dorm room in 2011. Originally geared toward up and coming jazz musicians in the area, Liebman started by promoting local shows. Since then, LLP has grown to become one of the most active and sought after PR firms in jazz today. LLP’s vast roster includes artists from all spectrums of jazz including Lakecia Benjamin, Brandee Younger, Catherine Russell, Kenny Barron, Ben Wendel, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Jeff Coffin and many more. To date, Liebman has launched over 800 new releases, and promoted hundreds of concerts worldwide. She is the resident publicist for the legendary Birdland Jazz Club and for the DC Jazz Festival. Liebman’s expertise have led to an impressive collection of awards and recognitions for her clients, including over 50 GRAMMY nominations (including 5 currently), over a dozen GRAMMY and Latin GRAMMY wins, as well as multiple Juno and NAACP Image Awards. In 2021, Liebman was chosen as one of Forbes 30 Under 30 in Music. She delivers workshops and lectures regularly at prestigious institutions, and appears on panels and juries throughout the country and across the world. She is an associate professor at The New School and a former GRAMMY U Mentor.

Brett Loeb is a Director of Publicity and Marketing at Missing Piece Group, and the Label Manager for Missing Piece Records. He began at the company as an intern and joined full-time after graduating from Drexel University’s Music Industry Program, marking over a decade as part of the Missing Piece team. In his publicity role, Brett currently works with clients including Mack Avenue Music Group (Christian McBride, Ghost-Note), Blue Note Records (Nels Cline, Aaron Parks), JAZZ HOUSE KiDS / the Montclair Jazz Festival, and the music venue White Eagle Hall. As Label Manager for Missing Piece Records, he oversees marketing, production, and release strategy across the label and distribution roster, with projects including Steve Earle, Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs, Fantastic Cat, and many others. Outside of work, Brett enjoys exploring new breweries and growing tomatoes at his local community garden in Jersey City, NJ.

Alycia Mack has been an agent at International Music Network for 24 years. An alumna of Boston University, Alycia started her career in the mailroom at APA in Los Angeles, then worked for Walt Disney Feature Animation and Warner Brothers Television before moving back east to work for IMN. Alycia serves as responsible agent for Stanley Clarke, Brad Mehldau, Hiromi, Lila Downs, Chucho Valdes, John Scofield, Dave Holland, Jason Moran, Terri Lyne Carrington, Kenny Barron, Chris Potter, Kandace Springs, Tyreek McDole, Gretchen Parlato, James Francies, Mali Obomsawin, and many more. Effective January 1, 2026, Alycia and veteran IMN agent, Jeanna Disney assumed ownership of the agency from founder, Scott Southard. 

Michela Marino Lerman is a celebrated tap dance artist, musician, improviser, choreographer, and educator, celebrated for her dynamic performances and innovative approach to the art of tap dance. Her work primarily explores the intersection of tap and music, particularly jazz, positioning tap not only as dance but also as a significant form of music. Recognized by DownBeat as “jazz’s premier tap dancer” and described by The New York Times as “an outstanding jazz musician,” she has garnered widespread acclaim for her contributions to both fields. Marino Lerman has had the privilege of being mentored by tap legends such as Gregory Hines, Buster Brown, Leroy Myers, and Mable Lee. She holds the unique distinction of being the only female lifetime honorary member of the legendary tap dance fraternity The Copasetics and has been featured on a U.S. Forever Postage Stamp that honors the art form of tap dance. Her accolades include the Hoofer Award and the FloBert Award. The Huffington Post has referred to her as a “hurricane of rhythm.” She has been highlighted multiple times in The New York Times, including being featured in T Magazine alongside her mentor and dear friend Anna Deavere Smith who recognized her as her artistic heir. Quincy Jones has also praised her as an “absolute tap dancing star who knows her roots.” Throughout her extensive career, Marino Lerman has performed as a soloist and with her group, Love Movement, at prestigious venues such as The Joyce Theater, The Kennedy Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Hollywood Bowl, The Whitney Museum of American Art, MASS MoCA, Newport Jazz Festival, Jacob’s Pillow, Green Box, Yale, The Ford Foundation, Monterey Jazz Festival, Little Island, Summerstage, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Umbria Jazz Festival, The Louis Armstrong House Museum, National Sawdust, Harlem Stage, Spiegeltent at Bard College, Strathmore, and Carnegie Hall. Recently, she premiered her full-length theatrical work Once Upon A Time Called Now and co-produced the documentary film American Tap. In addition to her performance work, Marino Lerman is also dedicated to education and has taught at Grinnell College, Tulane University, Kean University, Hampshire College, Penn State, NYU, and Nazareth College, as well as numerous national and international tap festivals. She has also served on the faculty of Anna Deavere Smith’s “Performance Lab” since 2022. Marino Lerman has collaborated musically with a host of notable figures, including Wynton Marsalis, Jon Batiste, Christian McBride, Terence Blanchard, Russell Hall, Regina Carter, Benny Golson, Catherine Russell, Barry Harris, Roy Haynes, Renée Fleming, and Esperanza Spalding, continually pushing the boundaries of tap dance within the realm of music.

Linda May Han Oh is a Grammy Award-winning bassist/composer who has performed with artists such as Pat Metheny, Kenny Barron, Joe Lovano, Terri Lyne Carrington, Geri Allen and Vijay Iyer. Originally born in Malaysia and raised in Boorloo (Perth), Western Australia, she has received many awards including a 2022 Deutscher Jazz Preis, 2018-2024 Jazz Journalist’s Association Bassist of the Year as well as the 2020 APRA Award for Best New Jazz Work In 2023 she was the Jazztimes Bassist of the Year and also received the Herb Albert Award. In 2024 she received an Honorary Doctorate from Manhattan School of Music. Linda has released six albums as a leader which have received critical acclaim, her latest – entitled “Strange Heavens” on Biophilia Records - a label founded by Fabian Almazán that promotes environmental sustainability. Her band has performed worldwide in venues such as the Village Vanguard and was recently featured on NPR’s Tiny Desk. Linda is currently Associate Professor at the Berklee College of Music in the bass department and is also part of the Institute for Jazz and Gender Justice led by Terri Lyne Carrington. Linda was featured on bass in the 2020 Pixar movie "Soul" under the musical direction of Jon Batiste (The Late Show with Stephen Colbert) alongside drummer Roy Haynes and was the model for the character in the film - bassist “Miho.” 

Christian McBride is a nine-time GRAMMY-winning bassist, composer, and bandleader. He is the Artistic Director of the the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), the TD James Moody Jazz Festival, and the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. McBride is also a respected educator and advocate for youth, and serves as Artistic Director of Jazz House KiDS and the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Summer Sessions. In addition to artistic directing and consistent touring with his ensembles, he hosts NPR's “Jazz Night in America” and "The Lowdown: Conversations With Christian" on SiriusXM. Whether behind the bass or away from it, Christian McBride is always part of the music. From jazz to R&B, and pop/rock and hip-hop/neo-soul to classical, he is a luminary with one hand ever reaching for new heights, and the other extended in fellowship—and perhaps the hint of a challenge—inviting us to join him.

Marta McLellan Ross is Chief of Staff at NPR. Since 2021, she has led NPR's Policy and Representation team, promoting public funding for public radio and advocating for legislation safeguarding journalists and freedom of the press. She leveraged her public policy expertise to explain NPR's impact to Congress, state and local lawmakers, emphasizing the vital role of public radio stations in local communities. McLellan Ross brings a distinguished history of public service and over a decade of legislative experience, including roles as Director of Legislative Affairs at the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) and Acting Director of Congressional Affairs at the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM). She also served as a senior policy advisor to two U.S. Senators and has an extensive background in East Asian security policy, including a Council on Foreign Relations Hitachi Fellowship. A 2001 Harry S. Truman Scholar, she is committed to public service and believes in NPR's role in fostering national dialogue and bipartisan support for public radio.

Katherine McVicker is a well-established professional in the music industry. She has launched the European touring careers of several artists including Norah Jones, developing Jones’ European profile for 7 years. After three decades in the music industry, as an agent developing the touring careers of dozens of internationally renowned Jazz and world artists, Katherine founded boutique agency Music Works International (MWI) in 2014. Today, with agents based in Europe, the United States, and Latin America, MWI books over 600 performances annually worldwide and represents over 40 of the top Jazz, Americana, and world music artists performing today. During the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown, Katherine developed a course for musicians and those struggling to book shows. The aptly named Anyone Can Book a Gig is a self-managed online course that aims to give artists the no-fluff tools and strategies they need to successfully book shows at any stage of their careers. For more information on this course, you can visit http://anyonecanbookagig.com. Katherine is also active in the international cultural community as an organizer of Arts Connect Africa www.culturalconnectionsafrica.org and Cultural Connections of Latin America (CCLA) www.conexionesculturales.com/en. Both networks share the mission of connecting cultural stakeholders for professional development and mentorship, creating and supporting educational initiatives, facilitating cultural exchange, and supporting economic development through the cultural arts. Katherine is available for artist consultation, interviews, appearances on the state of the industry, international touring, and artist development.

Mamie Minch is a guitar person. As staple of New York City’s blues scene by night and a repair and restoration luthier by day, Mamie has an affinity for all things old and beloved- guitars and songs alike.  She opened Brooklyn Lutherie with her partner Chloe Swantner in 2013 to serve the city’s string and fretted instrument players with a sensitive ear bent towards listening for each player’s particular needs.  The shop has an explicitly anti-racist and LGBT+ supporting message, and remains women owned and run.  Mamie has a parallel career writing, performing, and teaching guitar based music around the city and the world.  She’s played on 5 continents in bands and solo projects, and released her own and collaborative albums including her own most recent album Slow Burn and VKB’s 2024 album Crooked Little Heart.  She teaches at various schools and camps, including organizing Ashokan Center’s yearly Acoustic Guitar Week. You can see her in the city every fourth Friday at Barbes in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

Nicole Mitchell Gantt aka "Nicole Mitchell" is an award-winning creative flutist, conceptualist and composer. Utilizing her art to build alternative worlds that “bridge the familiar with the unknown,” she emerged from Chicago’s innovative music scene in the late 90s'. Years later she became the first woman to serve as president of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians. For over 20 years, Mitchell’s critically acclaimed Black Earth Ensemble (BEE) has been her primary compositional laboratory, with which she has performed consistently throughout Europe, Canada and the U.S. Encompassing philosophy, radical politics and Afrofuturism, Mitchell's music invites intercultural collaboration, with works including Mandorla Awakening, Xenogenesis Suite, and Bamako Chicago Sound System. Mitchell has brought innovation to jazz flute by creating a unique improvisational language, acknowledged by repeated awards as “Top Flutist of the Year” of Downbeat Magazine Critics Poll and the Jazz Journalists Association from 2010-2025. As a composer she has been the recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship, the Herb Alpert Award, the American Academy of Arts and Letters Award, the United States Artist award, and the Doris Duke Artist Award. Mitchell is a professor of Composition and Computer Technology at the University of Virginia. Previously, she was the Director of Jazz at University of Pittsburgh and professor in Integrated Composition, Improvisation and Technology at UC Irvine. Mitchell's book, The Mandorla Letters was published in 2022 by Green Lantern and the University of Minnesota Press. In 2025, Mitchell was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Marcus J. Moore is an esteemed editor, event curator, professor, and author of two books: The Butterfly Effect: How Kendrick Lamar Ignited the Soul of Black America (2020), and High and Rising (A Book About De La Soul) (2024). He has been a contributing writer with The Nation and a senior editor with Bandcamp Daily, a platform he helped launch. Marcus now co-leads the jazz-focused "5 Minutes That Will Make You Love..." series at The New York Times. Elsewhere, his music coverage can be found at NPR, Pitchfork, TIME, Entertainment Weekly, GQ, The Washington Post, Rolling Stone and The Atlantic, among other outlets.

Claudia Morales is a Concert Producer in the Music Division of the Library of Congress, where she is part of the team that curates the Library’s acclaimed concert series, now in its centennial season. She leads jazz programming, including concerts, lectures, and film presentations. She works closely with the Library’s archival collections as part of the curatorial process, public engagement and artist collaborations. Her work focuses on expanding access to the contributions of musical legends, nurturing emerging talent and broadening representation across both performances and collections. Morales joined the Music Division in 2019 after serving as Executive Director of the Youth Orchestras of Prince William. Her previous roles include Managing Director of The Arlington Choraliers; Theater Manager at George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium; and Concert Series Contractor at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theater from the Catholic University of Lima, Peru, and a Master of Arts in Arts Management from George Mason University.

Ciara Moser, a bassist and composer, has performed and recorded with artists such as Danilo Pérez, Terri Lyne Carrington, Nate Smith, Charlie Hunter, Victor Wooten, and Braxton Cook, among others. Her debut album, *Blind. So What?*, has been praised by international outlets including “Premier Guitar”, “Jazzwise”, “Bass Musician Magazine”, and national Austrian media such as ORF and Ö1. The ASCAP Foundation honored one of the album’s pieces with the “2023 Young Jazz Composers Award”, and the project led to a sold-out release tour through major Austrian venues such as Porgy & Bess Vienna and Jazzit Salzburg. Born in Dublin and raised in Austria, Moser is currently based in Boston and New York City. She holds a master’s degree in jazz performance from the “Berklee Global Jazz Institute”, where she was mentored by John Patitucci, Danilo Pérez, Terri Lyne Carrington, and Joe Lovano, as well as a master’s degree in music pedagogy from the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. A versatile performer, she is active across jazz, fusion, pop, rock, world, classical, and contemporary settings, appearing in band, orchestra, ensemble, and film projects both live and in the studio. She has appeared at festivals and venues around the world—including the Chile Jazz Festival (Santiago), Hay Festival (U.K.), Paradiso Jazz Festival (Italy), Festival da Jazz St. Moritz (Switzerland), the Cultural Summit in Abu Dhabi, and major stages in Canada, Germany, Panama, Ecuador, and Austria. Beyond her performance work, she has been featured on television programs such as “Barbara Karlich” and “Vera”, and since 2019 she has hosted her own podcast, “Blind. So What?”, focusing on life and accessibility as a blind artist. Moser’s honors include being named “DownBeat Rising Star Electric Bassist of the Year 2025”, a “Next Jazz Legacy Fellow” (2024), winner of the “New Generation Jazz Lab Competition” (2024), an “ASCAP Young Jazz Composer”, a “Jazz Ahead” participant, and recipient of awards such as the “Matt Marvuglio Student of the Year”, the Tara “Life Goes On” Award, the Johann Ratzenböck Scholarship, and first prize at Austria’s classical competition “Prima La Musica.”

Suraya Mohamed is the Executive Producer for NPR Music and leads teams, development and production of content across NPR Music's podcasts, programs and shows including Tiny Desk, Alt.Latino, Jazz Night in America, and All Songs Considered. She oversees partnerships with a variety of organizations, both inside and outside the public radio network and implements strategy for specials series and event production. She started her NPR career in the audio engineering department where she served in a variety of capacities including the technical director of Performance Today. She left NPR to start her own production company and specialized in documentary production, sound design, mixing, and editing where she won three Peabody awards, three Gracie awards and received the NEA Chairman's Award for Distinguished Service for her work on the Jazz Profiles documentary series. For many years, she was an adjunct professor at Howard University's School of Communications, where she taught Advanced Audio Production and Audio Engineering Principles. A graduate of the Peabody Conservatory of Music with degrees in viola performance and recording arts and sciences, she has a wide range of musical interests and experiences, and fondly remembers her time as a substitute violist with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.

Brenda Navarrete is one of the most prominent percussionists in contemporary Cuban music, renowned for her mastery of the batá drums and her ability to fuse Afro-Cuban tradition with jazz, rumba, and global sounds. A graduate of the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory, she has been part of projects such as Alafia, Obiní Batá, and Interactivo, bringing Afro-Cuban percussion to international stages. Her album Mi Mundo marked a milestone in her career, honoring Yoruba spirituality and expanding her music to audiences in Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, South Korea, Colombia, the United States, and France. She has collaborated with artists such as Mista Savona, Lutan Fyah, Prince Alla, France Nooks, I-Maali, Guts, David Walters, Havana Meets Kingston, Chucho Valdés, Paquito D’Rivera, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Aymee Nuviola,  Melvis Santa, Emily Estefan, Yissy García, La Dame Blanche, Ibrahim Maalouf, Pedrito Martínez, Isaac Delgado, Osaín del Monte, Wampi, Alfredo Rodríguez, and Monsieur Periné,   Harold López-Nussa, and Hilario Durán, and has shared the stage with Jon Batiste, Cimafunk. Her talent has been recognized in major media outlets such as Billboard, The New Yorker, and she has appeared on BBC, NPR, CNN en Español. She won the National Fiesta del Tambor Competition  and has received recognition at international jazz and World Music festivals. In 2025 Brenda became a Next Jazz Legacy Awardee, mentored by Terri Lynn Carrington. Standing out as one of the few women to master the batá drums at a professional level, Brenda Navarrete represents the evolution of Afro-Cuban percussion worldwide, establishing herself as an influential artist in and beyond Cuba.

Liz Pelly is a writer and editor based in New York. She is the author of Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist (One Signal Publishers). Her byline has appeared at The Baffler, Guardian, Harper's, NPR, Financial Times and many other outlets. She co-hosts the podcast Critical Listening.

Wendell Pierce is a prolific award-winning actor with a body of work on stage, television and film that spans more than three decades. He currently portrays Captain C.W. Wagner in the critically acclaimed CBS drama ELSBETH, for which he received an AAFCA TV Honor and a Critics Choice Celebration of Black Cinema and Television Actor Award. He is also a recurring character, Ishmael "Snaps" Henry, on Starz's Power Universe's RAISING KANAN. Universally hailed for his portrayal of Det. BunkMoreland on HBO’s groundbreaking seriesThe Wire, Pierce was also praised for his starring role as Antoine Baptiste on David Simon's critically acclaimed seriesTreméand as James Greer in the Amazon Originals Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan alongside John Krasinski.On film, Wendell recently made his Marvel Universe feature film debut in the box office hits Thunderbolts and inWarner Brothers’ James Gunn's Superman.He is also featured in Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest opposite Denzel Washington, which premiered at the 2025 CannesFilm Festival. Pierce returned to Broadway in 2022 to reprise his portrayal of Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman, for which he received a Tony Award nomination for Lead Actor in a Play. He is the recipient of an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, The Juilliard School.

Aaron Rimbui, a pianist, keyboardist, composer and producer, is among the most well-known and respected figures in East African Jazz. He is a trailblazer who has shaped and elevated the jazz scene in East Africa for the past 20 years with his unique blend of jazz piano and African rhythms producing a distinctly captivating sound that has come to be his trademark. Rimbui, a Kenyan native based out of New York City, (born Harun Kimathi Rimbui, October 15, 1979) is a music and artistic director, bandleader, festival curator, radio host, recording artist and most notably a refined live performer who has shared his incredible talent before international audiences. He has released 4 albums and is the winner of the 2018 Mzantsi Jazz Award for Best International Collaboration Album for his album, Kwetu. He has been nominated for multiple awards including All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) in 2022 for Best Male Artiste in East Africa and a second nomination in 2023 by Soundcity MVP in their biggest category, Song of the Year for his work on Bald Men Love Better with Bien-Aime Baraza of Sauti Sol. Rimbui has performed across the globe in Europe, in over 40 U.S states and throughout the African continent having opened concerts for the legendary Hugh Masekela, Grammy Award winner Richard Bona, and shared the stage with Bobi Wine and Tiwa Savage. He’s been featured in Kirk Whalum’s global collaboration Humanité and in Spike Lee’s Netflix series She’s Gotta Have It. Rimbui’s mission to cultivate and grow recognition for African Jazz is seen in his extensive history of bringing together jazz musicians whether it be for his albums Kwetu and Imani, or curating unforgettable live performances at numerous jazz festivals over the years. As a pioneer for African jazz across the world, Rimbui offers an experience like no other.

Shabi Samoohi is the founder and director of Cultural Island Travel, a company dedicated to creating authentic, musician-led journeys to Cuba. Her connection to the island began in 1999, when she first traveled there as part of a Semester at Sea program — an experience that sparked a lifelong passion for Cuban music, dance and culture. Before founding Cultural Island Travel, Shabi managed several acclaimed Cuban artists, including twice Grammy-nominated vocalist José “Pepito” Gómez and award-winning pianist and vocalist Jorge Luis Pacheco and still produces shows for them in New York City. She worked closely with Cabella Calloway, Cab Calloway's daughter to develop Pacheco's career. Today, through Cultural Island Travel, she has introduced thousands of American travelers to the vibrant rhythms and rich cultural heritage of Cuba since 2014. Her company’s tours have attracted notable guests such as Mick Jagger, Questlove, and Josh Klinghoffer (formerly of the Red Hot Chili Peppers), offering them and countless others a deeply personal and inspiring look at Cuba’s artistic soul.

Melvis Santa is a singer, composer, pianist, batá drummer, and award-winning educator. Born and raised in Havana, Cuba, Melvis made a splash at 14 when she founded the all-female group Sexto Sentido, deemed by Chucho Valdés as “the best Cuban vocal quartet of the past 30 years.” Melvis spread wings and toured worldwide as lead vocalist of seminal Cuban Timba-Funk fusion band Interactivo, mentored by Roberto Carcassés. Later went solo and formed her own group. Her debut album as a bandleader, Santa Habana (Bis Music) obtained a CUBADISCO Nomination in 2012.  Currently based in New York, Melvis continues to make a mark as an educator and performer. She has guest lectured at Yale University, Tulane, Fordham University, and conducted masterclasses at NYU, UArts, Panamá Jazz Festival, and Chicago Jazz Philharmonic. She has been awarded Brooklyn Conservatory of Music’s Jazz Leaders Fellow, and is a two times recipient of the Paul Simon Music Fellowship. The Amsterdam News describes her as “a young guru, a storyteller who makes a point of integrating the Black diaspora with her Cuban heritage, Afro Cuban traditions and American/Latin jazz influence she continues to digest since her arrival to New York City.” The New York Times says Melvis’ voice possesses “70s soul underpinnings, yet belongs to the Afro-Cuban traditions.” Melvis’s groundbreaking new album, “Jazz Orishas,” powerfully explores the female perspective within Afro-Cuban jazz legacy. It made several lists of best albums, including the 2024 Recordings On and Off the Beaten Path by JazzDeLaPeña. Since 2021 til present Melvis performs and tours worldwide with Kenny Garrett's Sounds From The Ancestors, becoming the first vocalist to be officially part of Kenny Garrett’s touring bands history. Collaborations include Andy Bey, Charles Tolliver, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Steve Coleman, Ravi Coltrane, Chucho Valdés and Mayra Caridad Valdés, Arturo O'Farrill, Buena Vista Social Club, Omara Portuondo, Xiomara Laugart, Muñequitos de Matanzas, Román Díaz and Pedrito Martínez.

Loren Schoenberg, who’s the senior scholar of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, is on the faculty at Juilliard and has also taught at Manhattan School of Music and the New School. Schoenberg has lectured at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the White House, the New York Philharmonic, Stanford University, and the Aspen Institute. He has conducted the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra as well as the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, the American Jazz Orchestra, and the WDR Jazz Orchestra in Koln, Germany. Schoenberg, a tenor saxophonist/pianist, has played and recorded with Benny Carter, Benny Goodman, Jimmy Heath, Eddie Durham, Marian McPartland, Clark Terry, John Lewis, Christian McBride, and Buck Clayton, and he was musical director for Bobby Short from 1997 to 2005. He also received two Grammy awards for best album notes, in 1994 and 2004. From 1986 to 1995, he oversaw the Benny Goodman Archives at Yale University. He has taught for several Jazz at Lincoln Center education programs and served as a screening judge for its  Essentially Ellington program for 20 years. Schoenberg has been published widely (including in the New York Times), and his book, The NPR Guide to Jazz, was released in 2003. He was hired in 2001 to lead the effort to establish the National Jazz Museum in Harlem and served for more than a decade as its executive director, creating many of its signal programs and enlisting Christian McBride, Jonathan Batiste, Ken Burns, and Wynton Marsalis to help further the museum’s mission. 

Stefanie Schumann is the founder of Delicious Tunes, an artist management and booking agency she established in 2012 in Munich, Germany. With over 14 years of experience and hundreds of successful concerts across Europe and beyond, Stefanie has become a recognized expert in touring and managing African artists internationally. Her career began with a South African record label, where she helped establish its European presence. She later co-founded Music for Goals, an anti-racism concert series in collaboration with the German Football Association (DFB). Under Stefanie’s leadership, Delicious Tunes has evolved into a full-service music company. In 2019, the agency launched a publishing division, and by 2021, it became a fully registered record label. In addition to artist management and tour production, Stefanie is also a visa specialist, assisting artists and crews with international touring logistics and immigration processes. What inspires Stefanie most is nurturing artistic growth—transforming raw talent and creativity into a complete artistic vision. Her roster features powerful bands and strong female voices that reflect the highest artistic quality. Deeply passionate about African music, Stefanie’s mission is to share its beauty and diversity with the world.

Leo Sidran is a journalist, musician, producer, and storyteller whose work lives at the intersection of music and conversation. He is the creator and host of The Third Story, a long-running podcast produced in partnership with WBGO Studios, which features intimate conversations with some of the most influential voices in contemporary music. Over the past decade, Sidran has built a remarkable archive of dialogues with artists, producers, songwriters, and cultural thinkers, offering listeners a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the creative process. As a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Sidran has released numerous albums under his own name and collaborated widely as a producer, arranger, and performer. His work reflects a deep engagement with jazz tradition while embracing the fluidity of modern songwriting and global sounds. Born into a family steeped in jazz - his father, Ben Sidran, is a celebrated pianist, producer, and broadcaster - Leo grew up with an insider’s view of the music world. But his own path has been distinctly personal: bridging languages and cultures, working across the U.S. and Europe, and weaving together storytelling and sound. Through his music, journalism, and conversations, Sidran aims to explore not just how music is made, but why it matters, as a social force, an artistic practice, and a shared human experience.

Katie Simon is the Supervising Senior Editor for Embedded, which showcases premier enterprise documentary storytelling for NPR. Before arriving at Embedded, she was a founding producer of NPR's multi-platform jazz program, Jazz Night in America with Christian McBride, and, prior to that, a founding editor at StoryCorps. She also co-created The Scarlet E: Unmasking America's Eviction Crisis (WNYC/On the Media) and produced episodes for ESPN's 30 for 30 podcast series. Simon has produced audio installations about housing instability for the National Building Museum and, through StoryCorps, contributed to exhibitions at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum in lower Manhattan. She's filed stories from the southernmost tip of Louisiana in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and with inmate firefighters in eastern Wyoming. She got her start in audio as a reporter and production assistant at WBGO, Jazz 88.3 FM, in Newark, NJ, and still proudly calls New Jersey her home. Simon's work has been awarded a Columbia-DuPont silver baton, two George Foster Peabody awards, and multiple Emmy nominations. She holds degrees from Kenyon College and Columbia University's School of Journalism and completed The Poynter Institute's Leadership Academy for Women in Media.

Jae Sinnett leads the highly acclaimed Zero to 60 Quartet. He’s a US Navy veteran and he’s the consummate drummer, composer, and band leader who has produced 21 recordings as leader. Jae has written over 250 compositions. He has also scored music for five documentaries – one of which (John Biggers: Stories of Illumination) was aired on PBS. Jae is in his 36th year as senior jazz producer/host for NPR affiliate WHRV-FM 89.5 in Norfolk, VA hosting the popular jazz program Sinnett in Session and The R&B Chronicles. Both shows can be heard on demand. In 1998, he was nominated for the Gavin Jazz Programmer of the Year. He’s also the recipient of the prestigious Duke Dubois and Scott Willis broadcasting Awards. As a jazz educator, Jae taught history, theory, improvisation and jazz drumset concepts at the Governor’s School for the Arts in Norfolk, VA for 10 years.  He also directed the GSA Big Band and Jazz Combos.  He was an adjunct drum set and jazz ensemble instructor at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, VA. Jae attended Norfolk State and Old Dominion Universities as a music education major. He is a Sonor Drums and Sabian Cymbals artist and veteran clinician and educator.

Rachel Smith is the Program Director and a Jazz Department Director Emeritus at WKCR 89.9 FM. She hosts a weekly jazz program on WKCR, “Out to Lunch,” on Thursdays from 12 noon to 3 PM (ET). She regularly invites musician guests to join her in the studio and on the air, from Branford Marsalis to Charles McPherson to William Parker. She also hosts live broadcasts from clubs in NYC, such as the Village Vanguard and the Blue Note, and books musicians for on-air performances. Rachel is a staff writer (album critic) and the Event Calendar Manager for The New York City Jazz Record. She has MC’d the Inwood Jazz Festival for the past two years and will serve as an advisor for the 2026 festival. In her free time, she enjoys catching live music (no surprise there), reading Shakespeare’s plays, and, as she is a native New Yorker, taking long walks.

Sunny Sumter is President and CEO of the DC Jazz Festival, a nonprofit service organization established in 2004 to present jazz-related cultural and educational programs in the nation’s capital. Its’ signature programs are the annual DC JazzFest, DC Jazz Festival Education, and the Charles Fishman Embassy Series. DC Jazz Festival is the recipient of the DC Mayor’s Art Award for Excellence in Creative Industries. Sumter has been a thought leader on jazz with the U.S. Department of State, DC Deputy Mayor’s Office of Planning and Economic Development, Jazz Philadelphia Summit, and Jazz Congress, among others. Prior to her tenure at DC Jazz Festival, Sumter held management/director positions with the Aspen Institute, National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship, Smithsonian Institution, and Rhythm and Blues Foundation. She was awarded the Aspen Institute’s Staff Achievement Award for Excellence. Sumter earned her bachelor’s degree in music business from Howard University where she minored in jazz studies/voice. She is a recipient of a Howard University Benny Golson Award, the Sitar Arts Center Visionary Award, the Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Heroes Award, a DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Fellowship, and a Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation Emerging Artist Award. She was host of Jazz Central on the BET network. As a professional vocalist, Sumter has performed at some of the finest festivals, concert venues, and clubs in the U.S. and internationally. She currently serves on the boards of the HBCU-Jazz Education Initiative, the International Society of Jazz Arrangers and Composers, and the North American Performing Art Managers and Agents. She is a member of Americans for the Arts, National Academy for Recording Arts and Sciences; and served as a program director member of the National Collaboration for Youth. Sumter is a Fellow graduate of the prestigious DeVos Institute of Arts Management at the University of Maryland Business School; and is one of the “exceptional leaders” selected for National Arts Strategies’ celebrated Chief Executive Program.

Nabiha Syed is Executive Director of Mozilla Foundation, the global nonprofit building a better technology future—powered by people, open by design, and fueled by imagination. A media lawyer by training, Nabiha was previously CEO of The Markup, an award-winning newsroom that challenged technology to serve the public good. She currently serves on the boards of the Scott Trust (owner of The Guardian), New York Civil Liberties Union, and Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. She advises on ethical tech as part of the World Economic Forum’s AI Governance Alliance and Humanity AI’s Steering Committee. Recognized by the NAACP and Archewell for her work in digital civil rights, she continues to rally people everywhere to make good on the promise of a human-centered internet.

Cheryl K. Symister-Masterson (radio moniker: Cheryl K.) is an independent broadcast and former print journalist, involved in both media for over thirty years. In 1994, she became a programmer at a community college in western Massachusetts, then later that year, became a volunteer programmer and the Jazz Director at WMUA 91.1 FM at UMass Amherst. In 2007, she moved to New York; four years later, joined the burgeoning community and transmission arts radio station WGXC 90.7 FM. For twelve years, she has hosted The Jazz Disturbance. In 2021, she added Situation Fluxus to her hosting duties and created her website Jazz/Fluxus. Since 2023, both shows have been independently produced and are posted at Jazz/Fluxus (https://www.jazzfluxus.com/), AllAboutJazz (https://www.allaboutjazz.com/), Mixcloud (https://www.mixcloud.com/cheryl-k-symister-masterson/), and Global Community Radio/GCR3 (https://globalcommunityradio.blogspot.com/p/gcr3-program-schedule.html).

Drew Tucker is a dynamic musician, educator, speaker, and arts administrator who blends his passion for the arts with a commitment to advocacy. As a trailblazer in the modern vibraphone movement, Drew reimagines the instrument by merging soul, funk, jazz, and hip-hop, creating a sound that is both innovative and rooted in tradition. His artistry has brought him to the stage with a diverse array of musicians, including Cory Wong, Victor Wooten, Shaun Martin, Stefon Harris, and Norah Jones. His contributions have earned him prestigious endorsements and the title of “Cultural Ambassador” from the U.S. Department of State. Drew’s global impact is evident in his extensive tours across the U.S., South and Central America, Europe, and Asia, where he has captivated audiences with his vibrant performances. He co-founded MalletLab, a summer music intensive where he mentored over 50 students annually, collaborating with the world's top educators to advance mallet percussion. In addition to his performance and educational roles, Drew is committed to community development through the arts. He has played a key role in establishing and revitalizing arts centers in underserved areas, including Arts Garage and Old School Square in Delray Beach, Florida. His dedication to fostering artistic expression and accessibility is evident in his work. Currently, Drew serves as Director of the Jazz Road program for South Arts, tours with his band ‘The New Standard,’ serves on the Mallet Committee for the Percussive Arts Society, and continues to inspire as a guest clinician, speaker, and Cultural Ambassador.

Brent Turney is an active performer and educator whose career spans classical, jazz, and commercial music. He has appeared with the Milwaukee Symphony, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Broadway in Chicago, Chicago Jazz Orchestra, Lacrosse Jazz Orchestra, and has shared the stage with artists including Maynard Ferguson and Aretha Franklin. A versatile soloist and clinician, Brent has performed throughout all 50 states and in 54 countries, presenting concerts and masterclasses at schools, universities, and festivals nationwide. Since 2007, Brent has served as Professor of Trumpet and Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point, where he teaches applied trumpet, music entrepreneurship, and a variety of courses across the curriculum. He holds degrees from Penn State University (B.M. in Classical Performance) and DePaul University (M.M. in Jazz Studies, Classical Performers Certificate), studying with Ken Brader, John Daniel, Bob Lark, and John Hagstrom.

Eduardo Vilaro, Artistic Director & CEO of Ballet Hispánico since 2009, revitalizes dance as a reflection of America’s diverse cultural tapestry. Born in Cuba and raised in New York, Vilaro redefines what it means to be Latino in America. He founded Luna Negra Dance Theater in Chicago, championing Latinx artistry. His work has earned numerous awards, including an honorary Doctorate from Adelphi University, recognizing his leadership in the arts.

Matthew Whitaker’s musical journey began at age 3 with a keyboard gift from his grandfather. He's now an artist, captivating audiences globally and appearing on notable T.V. shows like Showtime at the Apollo, the Today Show, Ellen, and a feature on 60 Minutes. Matthew is a versatile artist, starring, producing, and scoring the All-Arts Emmy-nominated documentary "About Tomorrow" and scoring the film "Starkeisha," which is currently streaming on Hulu. He also appeared in and contributed music to the Emmy-winning Apple T.V. commercial "The Greatest." Matthew made his musical director debut for the award winning "Billy Strayhorn: Something to Live For." A musical on the life of pianist and composer Billy Strayhorn, which premiered in Pittsburgh, PA, in the fall of 2023. He’s had guest soloist appearances with orchestras and symphonies including Aspen Chamber Symphony, under the baton of guest conductor, Marin Alsop, and the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, CN, Alexander Shelley, conductor. He also composed a song for the 82-piece Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra, in Sofia, Bulgaria, which was included in the aforementioned All-Arts documentary, “About Tomorrow.” Beyond music, Matthew advocates for persons with disabilities, consulting with companies to improve accessibility features. He is a three-time ASCAP Foundation Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composers Award winner, with three studio albums as a leader; "Outta The Box," "Now Hear This," and "Connections." His fourth recording, "On Their Shoulders: An Organ Tribute," (2024) an homage to some of Matthew's heroes on the instrument, received an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Jazz Album in 2025. It is his soulful, 7-track shout-out to the Hammond B-3 organ pioneers who paved the way for him. Matthew has collaborated with industry greats like bassist, composer, and producer Derrick Hodge; pianist, composer, and musical director Ray Chew; pianist, multiple Grammy-award winning composer, vocalist, and band leader Jon Batiste; Grammy-award winning bassist Christian McBride; and NEA Jazz Master, violinist Regina Carter.

Patti Williams has headed the Archives Center at the National Museum of American History (NMAH) since 2023. Before joining NMAH, Patti was an archivist at the National Air and Space Museum Archives most recently as the Deputy Chair of the Department. In all, Patti has over 36 years of archival experience at the Smithsonian Institution and is a firm believer in the essential role that Archives can serve in creating a more just society by providing citizens access to important history that is vital to collective memory and local and national identity. Patti has a BA in History from Bethel College (KS) and a Master of Library Science from the University of Maryland.