Faculty, Guest Artists and Staff

Composer in Residence Alan Baylock is quickly becoming recognized as one of the most creative young voices in the music business today. He is in demand as a composer, arranger, conductor, producer, instrumentalist, and educator, and is the leader of the Alan Baylock Jazz Orchestra. Baylock’s music has been performed and/or recorded by jazz greats Maynard Ferguson, Freddie Hubbard, Michael Brecker, Phil Woods, David Liebman, Jerry Bergonzi, Bobby Shew, Kenny Werner, Paquito D’Rivera, Nnenna Freelon, Tierney Sutton, and many more. His eclectic talents have also led him to writing music for Roy Clark, Clint Black, Wynonna, Patti LaBelle, Chaka Khan, Spyro Gyra, Ronan Tynan, and symphony orchestras across the country and abroad. An inspiring educator, Alan continues to write music for high school and collegiate level jazz ensembles, much of which is published by Alfred Music. Two Seconds to Midnight, the debut recording of the Alan Baylock Jazz Orchestra (ABJO), was released in October 2003 on Seabreeze Records. After receiving international critical acclaim, the CD spent eight weeks on the JazzWeek national jazz radio top 40 chart. The ABJO released its newest recording Eastern Standard Time in the Spring 2008, and within one week, the disc had broken into the JazzWeek top 40. Click here to visit Alan's website.

Composer in Residence Mike Tomaro has been the Director of Jazz Studies at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA since 1997. This saxophonist, flutist, clarinetist, composer, arranger and educator earned his B.S. degree in Music Education from Duquesne University and his M.A. degree in Saxophone Performance from George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. Prior to his appointment at Duquesne, he lived in the Washington, D.C. area for seventeen years as a member of the Army Blues Jazz Ensemble, a unit of the prestigious “Pershing’s Own” U.S. Army Band. While a member of this group, he served as its Enlisted Musical Director and performed for Presidents Reagan, Bush, and Clinton as well as heads of state from around the world. He also composed and/or arranged much of the Army Blues repertoire and was featured as a soloist on several of the group’s albums and CDs. Mike is a Yamaha Performing Artist and endorses Vandoren reeds, mouthpieces, and ligatures exclusively. Mike has four nationally released recordings under his own name that showcase his talents as both performer and writer Forgotten Dreams (Seabreeze Jazz), Dancing Eyes (Seabreeze Jazz), and Home Again (Positive Music). His latest CD, Nightowl Suite (Seabreeze Jazz), features his compositions and arrangements as performed by the Three Rivers Jazz Orchestra, a group that he co-founded. Additionally, Mike has also been featured on many other CDs as performer and/or arranger, most notably on Nancy Wilson’s last two Grammy Award winning releases, Turned To Blue and RSVP, the New York Voices, A Day Like This, A New Promise, by guitarist Sheryl Bailey and an upcoming release from the Pittsburgh Jazz Legacy Project, all on the MCG Jazz label. As a composer and arranger, Mike’s music has been performed by the likes of jazz greats David Liebman, Wayne Bergeron, Ivan Lins, Claudio Roditi, Mike Stern, Ernie Watts, Bobby Shew, Randy Brecker, New York Voices, Al Vizzutti, and many more, as well as high schools, colleges and universities around the world. His orchestral arrangements have been performed by the Pittsburgh and National Symphony Orchestras. Over one hundred of his compositions and arrangements have been published by Doug Beach Music, Hal Leonard Publications, and Walrus Music. As a performer, Mike has worked with such diverse artists and groups as Rosemary Clooney, Ray Charles, Michael Feinstein, Linda Ronstadt, Debby Boone, Johnny Mathis, Wayne Bergeron, Terence Blanchard, Louis Bellson, Terry Gibbs, Dizzy Gillespie Tribute Big Band, Woody Herman Orchestra and the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, where he is featured on their latest DVD, Live at MCG. In his hometown, he is a member of the Pittsburgh Jazz Legacy Band, and has performed with guitarist Joe Negri, Pittsburgh Symphony, River City Brass Band, Pittsburgh Ballet and Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble in addition to leading his own small groups and the aforementioned Three Rivers Jazz Orchestra. He is also a member and co-artistic director (with trumpeter Sean Jones) of the newly formed Pittsburgh Jazz Orchestra. Additionally, Mike has co-authored the textbook Instrumental Jazz Arranging: A Comprehensive and Practical Guide (Hal Leonard Publications), with his long-time mentor, Dr. John Wilson, who was Director of Jazz Studies at Duquesne University from 1972-1996. Mike was associated for many years with the now defunct International Association for Jazz Education and is currently affiliated with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers where he has received an ASCAP Plus award for the past eight years, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, Music Educators National Conference and the newly formed Jazz Education Network. Mike is in great demand both nationally and internationally as a guest soloist, adjudicator, and clinician. Click here to visit Mike's website.

Shenandoah Conservatory Jazz Faculty Member Dr. Robert Larson has been on the faculty of Shenandoah Conservatory since 1982. He has served as chair of the Instrumental Division, and is currently Director of Jazz Studies. He also holds the Harrison Endowed Chair in Piano. He is a jazz pianist, and teaches piano and all jazz-related courses. He performs regularly in the greater Washington D.C. area, with recent performances at Blues Alley, Washington D.C., and with the Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra, Center for the Performing Arts, George Mason University. He is the pianist on the critically acclaimed CD Two Seconds to Midnight, by The Alan Baylock Jazz Orchestra. Larson produced two albums by the Shenandoah Conservatory Jazz Ensemble, in 1990 and 1998. He directed the band from 1988 – 2000, during which time the ensemble performed with the finest jazz musicians in the world, including Randy Brecker, Bob Berg, Billy Taylor, Conrad Herwig, and many others. He arranged international tours with the band to Sweden (1991), Japan (1992), China (1993), Germany and Iceland (1996), Spain, Germany, Spain (1998), and as co-director, to Senegal (2002). He has researched the early recordings of jazz pianist Bill Evans, and presented a paper at the 1989 National Association of Jazz Educators Conference, San Diego, CA. The article is published in the NAJE Paper Presentations, 1989. Other publications include his article Improvising Without the Fear Factor, in the Virginia Music Educator’s Journal, Winter, 2008, and he is the author of Writing for the Small Jazz Ensemble, publication pending. His doctoral dissertation focused on computer analysis of jazz rhythmic practices, particularly tonal onset, swing ratio, and accent.

Shenandoah Conservatory Jazz Faculty Member Golder O'Neill is currently Associate Professor and Director of Music Production and Recording Technology curriculum at Shenandoah Conservatory of Shenandoah University. Mr. O’Neill also teaches bass for the Jazz Studies program and is the director of Shenandoah University’s Ruebush Hall Recording Studio. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Audio Recording from Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts and a Masters of Music Education degree from Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia. He has over twenty years of professional teaching experience in both private and classroom settings. Teaching experience includes Shepherd College, Shepherdstown, West Virginia; Contemporary Music Center, Chantilly, Virginia; Sound Labs, Falls Church, Virginia; PAVAN (Performing and Visual Arts Northwest), SCAA (Shenandoah Conservatory Arts Academy, Winchester, Virginia. He is a member of A.E.S (Audio Engineering Society) and was also a member of the former I.A.J.E. (International Association of Jazz Educators. Mr. O'Neill has over twenty years of professional recording experience. Professional recording experience includes owner, manager, and chief engineer of Goldreel Studios, Chantilly, Virginia. He was also a Recording Engineer at Sound Loft Studio, Brookline, Massachusetts. Golder O’Neill has professionally produced and engineered a multitude of recording projects ranging from voice-overs, jingles, commercials, film soundtracks, to Classical, Jazz, and Rock CDs. Mr. O’Neill has also been a professional musician for 25 years in the Washington D. C. Metropolitan Area. Performances include Kennedy Center, Washington D. C.; Blues Alley, Washington D. C.; Uppland International Jazz Festival, O’Sthammar, Sweden; tours with Shenandoah University Jazz Ensemble include China and Japan and numerous Jazz clubs in the Washington Metropolitan area. Performances with guest artists at Shenandoah University include Randy Brecker, Bob Berg, Carl Burnett, Rebecca Parris, Chris Vadala, Laurence Elder, William Calhoun and Zoro.

Shenandoah Conservatory Faculty Member Adam Olsen is an engineer whose specialty is in Digital Audio Workstations and is a certified instructor for both Digidesign's Pro Tools and Apple's Logic Pro. Adam has worked in various studios in Utah, Arizona, New York and Colorado. He has worked for companies such as Euphonix, Apple, Wind Over the Earth and Digital Poets as a product specialist or audio recording trainer. He also founded Studio PRIME and ran the studio in Denver. Adam has worked with many professional artists and top Grammy winning engineers in both training, assisting and engineering. He teaches Recording Systems 1 & 2, Basic Electronics, Studio Maintenance and Repair, MIDI and Electronic Music, Music Synthesis, Digital and Advanced Recording and other related classes.

Shenandoah Conservatory Faculty Member Dr. Keith Salley grew up playing guitar in rock and roll and rhythm and blues bands in Southeastern CT and moved to Memphis, TN at the age of 18 to pursue a B. M. in Jazz Performance at Memphis State University. Following graduation in 1996, he became the instructor of jazz guitar at the University of Memphis. In addition to performing jazz, reggae, bluegrass, and rhythm & blues extensively in Memphis, he composed works that were performed by Tony Reedus’ Frontiers quartet featuring Ravi Coltrane, John Pattituci, and John Abercrombie. Keith was attracted to the music-theoretical underpinnings of the subject of jazz improvisation, and after two years, he moved to New Orleans, LA to pursue an M.A. in Music Theory at Tulane University. His dissertation “Invariant Properties of Harmonic Substitutions in Jazz” was significantly informed by his undergraduate education in jazz theory, as well as by the knowledge he gained while teaching at the University of Memphis. After earning his M.A., he stayed in New Orleans for an additional year, participating in the local music scene, teaching as an instructor of jazz guitar at Tulane University, and serving as a member of the South Central Society for Music Theory. In 2002, Keith moved to Eugene, OR to pursue a Ph.D. in Music Theory with a secondary area in Jazz Performance and additional coursework in linguistics. He graduated in June, 2007. Before finishing his degree, his article “Beyond Chord-Scale Theory: Realizing a Species Approach to Jazz Improvisation” was accepted for publication in the Journal of Music Theory Pedagogy. Today, he is the coordinator of music theory at the Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester, VA where he performs locally and continues to do research in the area of popular music and jazz. In 2008 he was invited to attend the “Jazz Meets Pop” session of the Mannes Institute for Advanced Studies in Music Theory. This year, he has presented his new study “Ordered Step Motives in Jazz Composition” at conferences of the Music Theory Society of the Mid-Atlantic, the Rocky Mountain Society for Music Theory, and Music Theory Midwest. His current research interests involve accent patterns in bebop; the interaction between phonetic structure, accent patterns, and metric stress in pop music; and melodic organization in functionally or formally ambiguous jazz compositions.

Visiting Artist The Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra was founded in 1990 with an appropriation from the U.S. Congress in recognition of the importance of jazz in American cultural and its status as a national treasure. The orchestra, led by Artistic and Musical Director, David N. Baker, serves as the orchestra-in-residence at the National Museum of American History, Division of Cultural History. The orchestra re-creates big band jazz as its composers and arrangers intended it to be played, stripping away intervening changes and alterations. The SJMO has rediscovered old classics, premiered new discoveries, and more recently has begun premiering new works. Composed of 18 musicians drawn from across the United States, the orchestra plays authentic and compelling performances of the music of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Dizzy Gillespie, and many other masters. The SJMO presents free weekend concerts to visitors and residents of the nation's capitol, educational workshops, tours nationally and internationally, and offers its own radio series, "Jazz Smithsonian," heard on more than 88 public radio stations across the United States and in six nations. Click here to visit the website of the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra.

Guest artist The Capitol Bones is Washington DC's premiere jazz trombone ensemble. The Capitol Bones have played throughout the country to include performances at The International Trombone Workshop in Las Vegas-Nevada & Rochester- NY, jazz clubs, Universities and an annual appearance at The Eastern Trombone Workshop in Washington, DC. In addition to the standard arrangements The Capitol Bones have added several new works to the jazz trombone ensemble repetoire by such notables as Conrad Herwig, Mike Tomaro, Mark Taylor, Jim Roberts and Matt Niess. With their first two CDs, My Favorite Things and Epistrophy (available through Sea Breeze Jazz), you can experience the soloistic power and ensemble mastery of this group. With each performance these musicians create a fresh, new sound that is gaining in popularity every day. Click here to visit the website of the Capitol Bones.

Visiting artist Tom Williams has led a sparkling and varied career since he began studying trumpet and drums as a child. His talent was recognized at an early age by many, and he began working steadily on both trumpet and drums while still a high school student. After matriculating at Towson State University, Tom joined the renowned Duke Ellington Orchestra, under the direction of Mercer Ellington, with whom he played the national tour of the Broadway smash Sophisticated Ladies, also touring Japan with the road company. In 1987 he enlisted in the US Army Band and became a featured soloist in the Jazz Ambassadors and the Army Blues. In 1991 Tom was a finalist and second place winner in the first "Louis Armstrong International Trumpet Competition" sponsored by the Thelonious Monk Institute. A versatile performer, Tom has played in the show bands of Pattie LaBelle, Stevie Wonder, Frankie Valli, Liberace, Anita Baker, Mel Torme, The Temptations, Sid Caesar, Natalie Cole, Joe Williams, Harry Connick Jr., Lena Horne, The Four Tops, and Rosemary Clooney, to name a few. He has appeared at numerous jazz festivals and venues throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States with artist such as Donald Brown, The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Gary Bartz, Hank Jones, Philly Joe Jones, The Woody Herman Orchestra, Frank Foster, Tommy Flanagan, The Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, Slide Hampton, Ben Riley, Larry Willis, Art Taylor, Milt Jackson, The Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, Marlena Shaw, Barry Harris ,Grady Tate, and Steve Turre. Tom has recorded with Rob Bargad, Gary Bartz, Donald Brown, Antonio Hart, Jimmy Heath, The Heath Brothers, Larry Willis, Steve Wilson and Keter Betts. On trumpet as a leader, Tom has recorded two CDs, Introducing Tom Williams, and Straight Street, on the Criss Cross Jazz label. As a drummer, Tom has performed with Curtis Fuller, Javon Jackson, Kenny Drew Jr., Gloria Lynn, Geoff Keezer and leads his band InterPlay, which has recorded First Time and recently released Pick Up The Pieces on the JazzScapes label. Click here to visit Tom's website.

Visiting Artist Kennith R. Kimery in 1980 began his music career as a drummer/percussionist after graduating from high school in Germany. He returned back to the U.S. in 1981 to further his studies at San Diego State University in music and continued to perform around San Diego in a variety of musical settings which included engagements with Charles McPherson, Peter Sprague, Bob Magnusson and Barney Kessel. In 1993, he relocated to Washington, D.C. and was invited to become part of the Smithsonian's jazz program; first in the capacity of Assistant Program Coordinator for the Jazz Oral History Program, then as Associate Producer for the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, and in August 1999 was selected as the Producer of the orchestra. He has been involved in many jazz related programs as a performing musician, clinician, coordinator of Jazz Masterworks Editions publications program, and project director at the Smithsonian for Essential Jazz Editions, a partnership between the Smithsonian Institution, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and the Library of Congress.

Visiting Artist Pete Barenbregge played tenor saxophone in the Airmen of Note for 20 years, traveling all over the world and recording extensively. Over the years he has performed with artists such as Randy Brecker, Bob Berg, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Mel Torme, Diana Ross, Johnny Mathis, Henry Mancini, Dizzy Gillespie, Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra, and many others. He is currently Instrumental Jazz Editor for Belwin Jazz, a division of Alfred Publishing Co. His editorial responsibilities include acquisition and project manager for jazz ensemble and combo arrangements, improvisation, transcription, etude and pedagogical materials along with the production of educational CDs. Click here to visit Pete's website.

Visiting Artist Jim McFalls began studying trombone at age nine and, at fourteen, was performing professionally in community concert bands, polka groups, rock bands, and jazz combos throughout the Central Pennsylvania area. After his seventeen-year worldwide touring and recording stint with the Jazz Ambassadors, the premiere touring jazz ensemble of the US Army, Jim, retired from the military in 1998 to find a variety of projects awaiting him. As a freelance musician, he has been performing and recording in an incredibly diverse array of situations. These include a 3-year run with Chuck Brown, Washington, DC's Godfather of Go-Go, appearances with the Baltimore Symphony Pops Orchestra, the critically acclaimed Great American Music Ensemble, the popular nation-wide show The Four Kings of Rhythm and Blues, and the Kennedy Center Orchestra. Jim has also recorded for The Learning Channel and the National Geographic Society. Currently, Jim is a member of the RETOX HORN section of the highly acclaimed band Carey Ziegler's Expensive Hobby and he performs as a regular member of the internationally renowned Capitol Bones as well. Jim has appeared on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" with Thievery Corporation, a DC-based techno/trip-hop band, and made several appearances at the 2003 Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. He has also backed up such acts as Natalie Cole, Lorna Luft, Gene Chandler, Melba Moore, Ben E. King, Bob Newhart, and Debbie Reynolds, to name a few Today, Jim is in great demand as both a trombonist and educator. He has performed with such jazz luminaries as Dave Liebman, Clark Terry, Arturo Sandoval, Christian McBride, Jeff Tyzik, Bill Watrous, Joe Kennedy, Carl Fontana, Jon Faddis, and Toots Thielemans. In addition to his hectic performance schedule, Jim serves on the music faculty at Towson University, where he is the Big Band Director and the Jazz/Commercial Trombone Instructor. Click here to visit Jim's website.

Visiting Artist Charlie Young is a native of Norfolk, VA. Presently, he resides in Washington, DC, where he is Professor of Saxophone at Howard University. As a regularly featured member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra since 1988, Mr. Young has completed numerous International Tours. Having performed in Europe and the U.S. with his own jazz quintet, he was invited to perform at the first annual San Remo (Italy) Jazz Festival as Musical Ambassador for Washington, DC. In 1995, Young became a member of the Smithsonian Museum's Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, an ensemble dedicated to the preservation of American classical music. Among his many T.V., radio and concert appearances, Mr. Young has been a featured soloist with The National Symphony Orchestra, The West End Chamber Orchestra, The U.S. Navy Band, Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, The Virginia Beach Symphony Orchestra, The William and Mary College Concert Band and others. Mr. Young has recorded with the Count Basie Orchestra, East Coast Saxophone Quartet, The High Time Octet, Young/Williams Quintet, Duke Ellington Orchestra, and the Bobby Thomas Band.

Visiting Artist Jay Gibble is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music and the University of North Texas, where he studied trombone with John Marcellus, Don "Jake" Jacoby, Vern Kagarice, and jazz studies with Ray Wright, Bill Dobbins, Dan Hearle, Neal Slater, Jim Riggs, Fred Hamilton, and Larry McKenna (in Philadelphia PA). Jay has performed as a member of the Eastman Jazz Ensemble, the North Texas One O'Clock Lab Band, the Walt Disney World All-American Jazz Band, Opryland theme park, on national tours of Singin' in the Rain, Gypsy, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and the European tour of 42nd Street, and has recorded CDs with the Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet, the New Legacy Jazz Band, the Mark Taylor/Steve Fidyk Big Band, The Journey with Fred Foss, Now's the Time with Whit Williams, the Eastman Wind Ensemble with Wynton Marsalis, the North Texas One O'Clock Lab Band, and others. Jay appears on all three Capitol Bones CDs, and was co-producer/executive producer of the Capitol Bones A Stan Kenton Christmas CD. Locally Jay is a freelance trombone performer, playing with the Capitol Bones, the New Line Brass Band, the New Legacy Jazz Band, the Eric Felton Big Band and combos, the Bill Dayton Orchestra, and the Brooks Tegler Big Band. Jay also performs with the Spires Brass Band in Frederick, MD.

Shenandoah Conservatory Faculty Member Earl Yowell is the Director of Percussion Studies at Shenandoah Conservatory of Music. He was appointed an Associate Professor of Music in 2007. In addition to his teaching duties, he also directs the SU(PER)cussion Ensemble. In his two years at Shenandoah he has co-founded the Ear Candy Contemporary Music Concerts, and been a co-chair of the planning committee of the Performing Arts Live professional concert series. He also presently serves on the Symphonic Committee of the Percussive Arts Society. Prior to his appointment at Shenandoah, he performed for 19 seasons as the principal timpanist and percussionist of The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. He toured extensively with the SPCO throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. He was a featured soloist with internationally famous percussionist Evelyn Glennie in the SPCO performances of Andrzej Panufnik's "Concertino for Timpani, Percussion and Strings" and was timpani soloist in the Chamber Orchestra's premier performances of Johann Carl Christian Fischer's "Symphony for Eight Obbligato Timpani." He was also a regular performer with the Chamber Music Society of Minnesota where in 2001 he premiered, with cellist Yo Yo Ma, a concert of new chamber music works.

Visiting Artist Shawn Purcell graduated from Duquesne University in May, 1993 with a Bachelors of Music in Recording Arts and Sciences. As an undergraduate, he studied Jazz/Brazilian/Rock Guitar under the direction of Ken Karsh, Joe Negri, Mark Koch, Marty Ashby, and classical guitar under the direction of Tom Kikta. Studies also included Jazz Arranging and Jazz Composition with Dr. John "Doc" Wilson. While attending Duquesne, and upon graduating, Shawn played in Late Edition, a contemporary Jazz/ Fusion Band based in Pittsburgh. In November, 1993, he was called to tour with Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey Circus as the Blue Units staff guitarist. This two year gig covered over 93 cities throughout the United States. In August 1996 Shawn auditioned and was selected for the Air Force Jazz Band The Airmen of Note. During his tenure with The Note, Shawn performed and toured throughout the United States and overseas, including Germany, Luxembourg, England, Italy, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Oman, to name a few.

Visiting Artist Graham Breedlove "has chops...and is the leader of a tight, forceful band," says Jazz Times Magazine. AllAboutJazz.com has called Graham Breedlove "A trumpet player with an exquisite tone and provocative harmonic ideas...Breedlove exhibits great control and cranks out some head-turning melodic ideas". The International Trumpet Guild's Journal raves "...quite creative--he bebopped all over the horn!". Also active as a composer, Graham’s work has been featured on NBC’s Today show, Food Network’s Emeril Live and the Washington Post has called it “...terrific... with luminous, fine-grained autumnal harmonies...”. Since taking up the trumpet at age twelve in his hometown of Lafayette, LA, Graham Breedlove has performed on four continents in more than twenty countries, with headliners representing more than fifty Grammy Nominations. Among these are: The Saturday Night Live Band, Ray Charles, Wynton Marsalis, Tito Puente, James Moody and Arturo Sandoval. As a leader, Breedlove is a Summit Records recording artist. When reviewing his debut CD "Coming Home", released in 2001, Amazon.com states "This CD is like a bottomless glass of good wine". As a sideman, Breedlove has appeared on more than 100 recordings, including back-to-back Grammy winning CDs in 2004 and 2005 with Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer. For more information please visit www.grahambreedlove.com.

Shenandoah Conservatory Jazz Faculty Member Matt Niess is the director of The National Jazz Workshop. He is a former high school band director and has taught on the jazz faculties of Shenandoah, Towson and West Chester Universities. He is the founder and director of the Capitol Bones, a jazz trombone ensemble, which has received national recognition and has performed throughout the country. He has appeared as a soloist, clinician, and adjudicator at jazz festivals, schools, and universities throughout the country and has recorded and performed with numerous artists. Click here to visit Matt's website.

Visiting Artist Tony Nalker has performed with many musical talents including Doc Severinsen, Kathy Mattea, Kenny Loggins, James Moody, Slide Hampton, Kurt Elling, Stanley Turrentine, Clark Terry, and Louis Bellson. He has performed on more than 90 recordings in a variety of styles including three Grammy finalists (and one winner) in the children's music category. Tony also enjoys composition, having co-written a musical theater adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. Nalker has also written numerous works for dance companies and a variety of jazz ensembles. Tony’s musical endeavors also include teaching jazz piano at George Mason University. Currently, Tony is a member of the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, serving as their pianist since 2005. He is also the pianist for Hal Leonard Publisher’s Jazz Play-Along series which now has more than 100 books/CDs in the series. Tony received his undergraduate degree in music at James Madison University and his M.A. in music from the University of Iowa.

Visiting Artist Regan Brough began playing electric bass at age 11 as part of his family steel band called Pan Jam, which has been featured with The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Gladys Knight and at the 2002 Winter Olympics. Brough’s father, a university percussion professor, had a profound influence on his musical development by exposing him to a wide variety of world and ethnic music in his early years. Throughout his teenage years, Brough received various outstanding soloist awards culminating at the 2005 International Society of Bassists Convention where he was awarded second place in the Jazz Solo Division. Soon thereafter he graduated Magna Cum Laude from Brigham Young University with a bachelors degree in bass performance. An active composer/arranger, Brough was awarded with the Outstanding Instrumental Composition from the 2006 Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival for his original composition “I Don’t Know Why” and continues to compose/arrange in a variety of genres.

Visiting Artist Joseph Henson attended the University of South Carolina as an undergraduate, where he studied with Bert Ligon and Roger Pemberton. He then completed his graduate studies at the University of North Texas where he played in the One O'Clock Lab Band for three consecutive years (1994-1997) and studied with Jim Riggs and Dan Haerle. His composition "Highlander" was featured on the album Lab '96 and "Syndrome" was featured on Lab '97. While a member of the One O'Clock Band, the band played concerts in Hong Kong and Japan. He now leads his own small group that plays acoustic and electric jazz. He is working on a forthcoming book called Saxophone Exercises for Technique and Melodic Vocabulary.

Guest Artist The Airmen of Note is the premier jazz ensemble of the United States Air Force. Created in 1950 to carry on the tradition of Major Glenn Miller's Army Air Corps dance band, today the “Note” features 18 of the most talented jazz musicians in the country and is one of the last touring big bands. As a result, it has earned an international reputation as one of the finest and most versatile big bands of its kind in the world. Through the years, the Airmen of Note has presented its exciting brand of big band jazz to audiences throughout the United States, dozens of countries in Europe and Asia, as well as back home in the Washington, D.C., area. The group’s successful delivery of their recorded music to millions of fans over hundreds of media outlets worldwide is validated by industry measures, including the JazzWeek jazz chart. The Airmen of Note's steadfast commitment to musical excellence and reputation for setting the highest standards has earned the respect of the world's foremost jazz artists. This has led to many collaborative efforts, recordings and performances with such luminaries as Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Williams, Sarah Vaughan and Nancy Wilson. In 1990, the Airmen of Note established the Jazz Heritage Series, featuring the “Note” in concert with legendary icons of jazz. Artists that have participated in this series include Clark Terry, Phil Woods, Kurt Elling, Paquito D’Rivera, Nicholas Payton, Karrin Allyson and many others. Each year, the Jazz Heritage Series reaches millions over National Public Radio, scores of independent jazz radio stations, satellite radio services and the internet. Throughout the history of the Airmen of Note, the Glenn Miller sound has remained a central ingredient in the band’s musical heritage. However, the “Note” began to adopt a more contemporary sound in the 1950s and 1960s due largely to a talented stable of staff arrangers, including the legendary Sammy Nestico. Beginning in the 1970s, Senior Master Sergeant Mike Crotty served as the band’s chief arranger for more than 25 years and helped elevate it to the forefront of modern, big band jazz. Today, Master Sergeant Alan Baylock, the group’s current chief arranger, helps maintain a commitment to tradition and “cutting edge” innovation. In 2010, the Airmen of Note celebrates 60 years as one of our nation’s most revered musical organizations. As it passes this historic milestone, the band will continue to vigorously support the U.S. Air Force by building on its deep and rich musical heritage and tirelessly delivering musical excellence to audiences throughout the United States and around the world.

Guest Artist The US Army Blues, part of The United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” is the premier jazz ensemble of the United States Army. After beginning informally in 1970, this 18-piece ensemble became an official part of the Army Band in 1972. Comprised of exceptional jazz musicians from across the nation, the Army Blues strives to fulfill its mission through public concerts, educational outreach, and preserving the tradition of America’s unique art form: jazz. The Army Blues has performed at prestigious venues such as the Monterey Jazz Festival, the Montreux Jazz Festival, the famous Birdland jazz club in New York City, and the legendary Blues Alley club in Washington, DC. The band has shared the stage with jazz greats such as Dave Brubeck, Doc Severinsen, Stanley Turrentine, Slide Hampton, Dr. Billy Taylor, Kevin Mahogany, and Terrell Stafford. The Army Blues also gives frequent performances at national conferences such as the Jazz Education Network annual conference, the International Trumpet Guild conference, the International Trombone Festival, and the Music Educators National Conference. The musicians of the Army Blues perform regularly at the White House, the Vice President’s Residence, the State Department, and high level military protocol and ceremonial events in the Washington, DC, area. This ensemble also plays a vital role in Army recruiting as part of the Twilight Tattoo performances seen by thousands in the Washington, DC area each summer. Several members of the Army Blues have played for Habitat for Humanity volunteers in New Orleans during the cleanup efforts following Hurricane Katrina. In conjunction with the USO and the office of the Sergeant Major of the Army, individual members of the band volunteer to travel to Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan during the holiday season to perform concerts for the troops stationed there. Members of the Army Blues are very active in educational outreach. Serving as musical ambassadors, the band has conducted numerous clinics and workshops at universities throughout the United States. In partnership with local schools, members of the Army Blues work with young musicians focusing on jazz education. In partnership with the Library of Congress, the Army Blues plays seldom-performed yet historically significant music from the jazz archives of the Library of Congress. In 2007, to celebrate the band’s 35th anniversary, the band recorded a double CD album called Blues at Thirty-Five. This album won two Washington Area Music Awards (“Wammies”) in the categories of Best Big Band Group and Best Big Band Recording. The group’s most recent recording, Live at Blues Alley, features many new compositions by members of the band.

Visiting Artist Scott Silbert played tenor and baritone saxophone with the Navy Band "Commodores" jazz ensemble before becoming chief arranger for the Navy Band. He was a featured soloist on national concert tours, at the International Association of Jazz Educators, the Midwest Band and Orchestra Conference, the Georgia Bandmasters Association, the Elkhart, IN Jazz Festival, the East Coast Jazz Festival, the Montreux-Detroit Jazz Festival, the International Trumpet Guild Jazz Competition, and on numerous local concerts. In addition, Scott has performed with the National Symphony Orchestra, the Bruce Gates Jazz Consortium, the Blues Alley Big Band, and has appeared with Rosemary Clooney, Bob Hope, Milt Hinton, Toshiko Akiyoshi and Lew Tabackin, Maureen McGovern, Stanley Turrentine, Red Skelton, Andy Williams, Bob Crosby, Rich Little, The Four Tops, The Spinners, Marvin Stamm, and The Temptations. An active lecturer, Silbert presented jazz history clinics at the Navy Band's International Saxophone Symposium at George Mason University.

Shenandoah Conservatory Jazz Faculty Member Craig Fraedrich has been on faculty at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia since 1989 where he has taught Jazz Theory, Jazz Arranging, Music Theory, Jazz Improvisation, Applied Jazz Lessons, coached Jazz Combos and directed the Conservatory Jazz Ensemble. A graduate of North Texas State University, (Bachelor of Music - Jazz Studies) and Arizona State University, (Master of Music - Instrumental Music) he has performed with artists such as Dave Liebman, Tom Harrell, Charlie Rouse, Wycliff Gordon, Marvin Stamm, Alan Vizzutti, Richie Bierach, Cecil Taylor, and Don Thompson. He has studied with Don Jacoby, Dennis Najoom, Leonard Candelaria, Wayne Cook, Dave Liebman and Kenny Wheeler. Click here to visit Craig's website.

Bill Linney earned a bachleor's and master's degree in Jazz Studies from the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. Bill taught applied jazz saxophone at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia from 2007 to 2012. Bill has studied with Bert Ligon, Jim Riggs and Dan Haerle, and has performed with many guest artists over the years. Bill is the author of a forthcoming book titled Jazz Saxophone Fundamentals.