Patrick Gillespie is a trombonist who has been performing and teaching in the Washington D.C. area for over 20 years. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music Performance from West Virginia University and a Master’s Degree in Music Performance from the University of North Texas. Former teachers include Michael Wheeler, Dr. Keith Jackson and Tony Baker.
Learn MoreChris Byars is a steady contributor to the New York City jazz scene as a performer and educator since the early 1990s. He has released sixteen (16) CDs under his name. An award-winning bandleader and composer, Byars has led his group to perform concerts, commissions, recordings, and educational programs all over the world. Byars teaches jazz improvisation as learned from his mentor, the late Dr. Barry Harris.
Learn MoreStefan Chaplikov studied at the Conservatoire de Paris with Michell Béroff and was a Rebanks Family Fellow at The Glenn Gould School. He holds an Artist Diploma at Yale School of Music with Peter Frankl and his D.M.A. from Peabody Institute, where he studied with the legendary Leon Fleisher. His latest recording featured a solo album with Clementi Piano Sonatas for the Naxos Label, hailed by the critics as “breathtakingly beautiful” (American Record Guide), “a true musical pleasure” (Ritmo), “utter perfection” (The WholeNote).
Learn MoreNamed one of Canada's 30 hot classical musicians under 30 for 2020 by CBC Music, Quebec born pianist Jean-Luc Therrien has been an active soloist in Canada and abroad. In the later years, he toured across Quebec and the Maritimes as part of the Jeunesses Musicales Canada’s Emerging Artists Concerts on tour. He also made his orchestral debut in Japan with the Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra, performing Beethoven’s fourth piano concerto.
Learn MoreAmerican pianist and coach Nicole Cloutier specializes in operatic repertoire. She maintains a working relationship with Kennedy Center, having been an assistant conductor and pianist at Washington National Opera for Blue, La bohème, The Lion the Unicorn and Me, and Turandot. Ms. Cloutier was a resident artist at Merola Opera Center of San Francisco Opera for the 2023 summer season, where she was the principle pianist and coach for Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia.
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