JAZZ WORKSHOP FACULTY

ALEXA TARANTINO, director

In the words of Wynton Marsalis, Alexa Tarantino is a “one-woman wrecking crew, […] an indomitable force for expression, education, and absolute excellence.” The vibrant and versatile jazz saxophone & woodwind artist has been triple-nominated as a Rising Star Alto Saxophonist by Downbeat Magazine’s Critics’ Poll from 2020-2022, was named one of the Top 5 Alto Saxophonists of 2019 by the JazzTimes Critics’ Poll, and was one of 100 alumni to receive the Centennial Award from the Eastman School of Music (2022). Alexa “lights up rooms when she [plays]” (JazzTimes). Her radiant spirit and artistry uplifts and inspires her audiences one performance at a time. Alexa tours worldwide with Cecile McLorin Salvant, ARTEMIS, and the Alexa Tarantino Quartet. She appears frequently with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Her records (Firefly, Clarity, Winds of Change) and compositions have consistently topped jazz radio charts, and her discography includes 25+ released recordings as a leader and/or sidewoman. Tarantino is in-demand internationally as an energetic and impactful clinician, mentor, and coach and also represents Jazz at Lincoln Center as a visiting educator for various programs with students of all ages and levels. She holds a master’s degree in Jazz Studies from The Juilliard School and bachelor’s degrees in Jazz Saxophone Performance and Music Education with a certificate in Arts Leadership from the Eastman School of Music. Alexa is Founder and Artistic Director of the Cape Ann Jazz Workshop in Rockport, Massachusetts (est. 2014). Alexa Tarantino is a Vandoren Artist, a Yamaha Performing Artist, and endorses BAM Instrument Cases.

Website     Facebook     YouTube    Instagram    Twitter

 

EMILIANO LASANSKY

Emiliano Lasansky is a bassist, composer, bandleader, and educator currently residing in Los Angeles, California. Heralded as a virtuosic and dynamic artist, Emiliano strives to push his art into new directions. He received his Bachelor of Music from The Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York in 2015. From 2016-2021, Emiliano cut his teeth as a freelance bassist in New York City. As a burgeoning performer, he was able to frequently collaborate with world-class peers. In 2021, Emiliano joined the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance at UCLA (formerly the Thelonious Monk Institute) as a fellow in their master’s program and will complete his masters in 2023. He is the recipient of multiple honors, including recently a 2023 ASCAP Foundation Herb Alpert Young Composer’s Award, as well as third prize in the Scott LaFaro Bass Competition in 2019. Emiliano awarded a fellowship to at the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead program under the direction of Jason Moran at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 2017 and 2018.

 

 

ERIC METZGAR

Eric Metzgar is an in-demand drummer and versatile collaborator who offers his musicianship to various jazz/pop artists and symphony orchestras worldwide. He has had the opportunity to work with numerous first-rate performers including Jeff Tyzik, Sutton Foster, Joe Locke, Jimmy Greene, Shayna Steele, Byron Stripling, and Delfeayo Marsalis. Eric is a passionate educator deeply invested in music teaching and learning. He maintains a private studio and serves as a clinician at grade schools and universities. Eric holds a BM in Drum Set Performance and an MM in Music Teaching and Learning from the Eastman School of Music. He is based in São Paulo, Brazil and tours frequently around the world.

 

 

LEVI SAELUA

Levi Saelua is a Sacramento-based composer/saxophonist. He began his jazz studies at Rio Americano High School under the direction of Craig Faniani and Josh Murray. Upon graduating, he furthered his musical studies at the Eastman School of Music, studying with composers Bill Dobbins and Dave Rivello, and saxophonists Chien-Kwan Lin, Jose Encarnacion, and Charles Pillow. He currently maintains a full schedule writing for and touring with groups based in Northern California, including the Shawn Thwaites Rebel Quartet, Tenor Explosion, and Triism, the winners of the 10th Bucharest International Jazz Competition in Romania.

 

MIKE CONRAD

Mike Conrad is a composer and improviser currently serving as Associate Professor of Jazz Studies at the University of Northern Iowa. His compositions have earned him four ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards, a SONIC Award from the International Society of Jazz Arrangers & Composers, the 2023 Sammy Nestico Award, and many other accolades. Conrad’s music has been performed all over the world, including a 2017 concert by the Metropole Orkest in the Netherlands, a 2014 Carnegie Hall Premiere, and a performance at the US Presidential Inauguration in 2013.
Mike Conrad’s wide-ranging creative projects include his unique 15-piece group, the All Angles Orchestra (New Angle, 2017), the Iowa Jazz Composers Orchestra (Fertile Soil Suite, 2021), a reimagination of Beethoven’s 3rd symphony in collaboration with the Berlin-based Stegreif Orchester (2019), and a 2022 trio album release entitled Reconnect. He records and performs regionally on piano and trombone with groups like Christopher Merz’s “Shorter Stories,” the Jon Ailabouni Quintet, Bob Washut’s “Emeritet,” and the Max Wellman Big Band.
Dr. Conrad earned degrees from the University Northern Iowa (BM and BME), the Eastman School of Music (MM), and the University of Northern Colorado (DA). He is in high demand as a clinician and guest director for jazz ensembles, having directed the Iowa All-State Jazz Band (4A) in 2023. Mike lives in Cedar Falls, Iowa with his wife Ashley and their daughter Madeline.

 

NICK FINZER

An award-winning composer, arranger, and trombonist, Finzer is bringing the joy and power of Jazz to both traditional fans and the most modern 21st century audiences. He’s on a mission to be a passionate voice defining the sound of Jazz in this age while also bringing street cred to the trombone with a bold, tight sound. Born into the musical world, Finzer developed a fascination for the music of Duke Ellington and found himself, in high school, performing at the annual Essentially Ellington competition of Jazz at Lincoln Center. It was then that he decided to pursue a life in music himself. His budding talent was recognized by Wycliffe Gordon who began a life-long mentorship by writing four pieces for the young Finzer while he attended the Eastman School of Music. Nick went on to get his masters at Juilliard’s prestigious Jazz program where he was mentored by the trombone legend Steve Turre. Finzer has performed at top Jazz clubs and concert halls with Wynton Marsalis’ Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Lucas Pino’s No Net Nonet, Ryan Truesdell’s Gil Evans Project, Bob Stewart’s Double Quartet, Frank Wess, Terrell Stafford, Lewis Nash, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Walt Weiskopf, Slide Hampton, Frank Kimbrough, Carl Allen, Steve Turre and many more.

 

STEVEN FEIFKE

Steven Feifke is a GRAMMY Award winning bandleader, composer, and arranger. He is one of the most in-demand jazz artists in the world today. He has been interviewed on TV shows like FOX, NBC, and CBS, and is heralded a “masterful pianist” by JAZZIZ Magazine. DownBeat Magazine calls his music “an air of infectious joy.” He is a Yamaha Performing Artist, an Avid Sibelius Artist, and has appeared on over 40 albums to date. He has written music for hit TV shows like The Masked Singer, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, Impractical Jokers, Animaniacs, and many world class big bands and orchestras around the globe. Berklee College Of Music hired him as a professor of Harmony and Jazz Composition, and he has also been invited to give guest lectures and Artist in Residencies at institutions such as Yale University, Jazz At Lincoln Center, New York University, UT Austin, Northern Illinois University, and more. In his free time, he enjoys jogging, reading, and playing chess.