"Dave Douglas is a prolific trumpeter, composer, educator and entrepreneur from New York City known for the stylistic breadth of his work and for keeping a diverse set of ensembles and projects active simultaneously.

His unique contributions to improvised music have garnered distinguished recognition, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, an Aaron Copland award, and two GRAMMY® nominations. While his career spans more than 40 recordings as a leader, his active projects include his Quintet; Sound Prints, a quintet co-led with saxophonist Joe Lovano; Riverside, a quartet co-led with Chet Doxas; a duo with pianist Uri Caine; and, debuting in 2015, High Risk, an electronic music-influenced quartet with Mark Guiliana, Jonathan Maron and Shigeto.

Since 2005, Douglas has operated his own record label, Greenleaf Music, releasing his own recordings as well as albums by other artists in the jazz idiom. Through his artist-friendly approach and innovative practices, he continues to prove himself a pioneer among artist-run labels.

Douglas has held several posts as an educator and continues to be very active as a director and programmer. He has been named the Artistic Director for the 2016 season of the Bergamo Jazz Festival, which occurs every year in March. Starting in 2012, Douglas was engaged for two years as International Jazz Artist in Residence at the Royal Academy of Music in London and launched his own Jazz Workshop, dedicated to enriching the musical experiences of younger players. From 2002 to 2012, he served as artistic director of the Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music at The Banff Centre in Canada. He is a co-founder and director of the Festival of New Trumpet Music, which was founded in 2002 to support new music by a diverse community of trumpet and brass players. He also co-hosts, with Michael Bates, a podcast called Noise From the Deep which was named the top jazz podcast by the JazzTimes critics poll in 2014."

"Jazz Trumpeter Alexandra Ridout is from the UK and is currently based in London and New York City.At the age of 17 Alexandra was crowned the winner of the BBC Young Musician JazzAward 2016, which is the most prominent jazz competition in the UK, widely promoted bythe BBC on National TV and Radio. She was catapulted into a very busy and high profilejazz career and has been wowing audiences ever since.Since her win, Alexandra has gone on to receive an array of awards and accolades includingthe British Jazz Awards 'Rising Star' 2018, in 2019 being named one of 'London's MostInfluential People under 25' by the Evening Standard, she was a Parliamentary JazzAwards nominee 2020, a winner of the highly competitive American Laurie Frink CareerGrant for trumpet 2022. She received the 'Best Soloist' award at the 'Keep an EyeInternational Jazz Award' 2023, was awarded 2nd Place at the mostprestigious jazz trumpet competition in the world - the Caruso International Jazz TrumpetCompetition 2023 and most recently won the the Next Jazz Legacy award through New Music USA.

Alexandra's career took off in the UK and beyond from 2016 onwards. She has been in greatdemand as a bandleader, composer, musical collaborator, educator and featured artist,performing in 100's of shows in all of the UK's top venues, including 2 appearances in the2018 BBC Proms, which included her performance as a featured guest for '40 years of TheBBC Young Musician'. During this time Alexandra also had her music played on multipleBBC Radio 3 show's, Jazz FM and across Europe and the USA.

During these years, in addition to bandleading her own ensembles, Alexandra was highlysought after by the UK's top jazz musicians such as British luminary Clark Tracey, being amember of his Hexad, Quintet and Big Band for many years, Clare Teal's mini Big Band,Guy Barkers Big Band (including their acclaimed Christmas show at the Royal Albert Hall),Yazz Ahmed's Polyhymnia, touring Europe with Matthew Herberts Brexit Big Band andcountless others.

Since being based in the UK and USA in 2021, Alexandra's exquisite playing has been sought out bymany revered international musicians, including European touring with world renownedRenee Rosnes' Blue Note signed band 'Artemis', Orlando Le Fleming's 'Romantic Funk'(including a London residency with the band), prestigious New York venues and USAperformances as a member of award winning saxophonist Dayna Stephens' 'CustomDeluxe', New York shows with world famous jazz drummer Jochen Rueckert's quartet,regularly performing at the famous Birdland Jazz Club and many other USA and worldwidevenues as a member of Arturo O'Farrill's Grammy winning Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra.Alexandra was also twice invited to be a featured artist with Pablo Held as part of his 'Pablo Held meets... series in Germany. She is also performing and recording regularly with ECMartist Kit Downes and multi award winning saxophonist Alex Hitchcock.Alexandra has performed with her new sextet at America's premier jazz performance venue,The Jazz Gallery in NYC and is a busy performer in NYC and further afield with her owntrio, quartet and quintet. As an in demand member of many other bands Alexandra can beseen performing in NYC venues such as The Jazz Gallery, Dizzy's Jazz Club, Bar Lunatico,Nublu, The Owl, the Kennedy Centre in DC and many more.She was a showcased performer/composer in the International Festival of New TrumpetMusic with her trio in New York in 2022. The Festival is curated by world famous jazz trumpeter Dave Douglas, who she performed with in the FONT in 2024 and recorded an album with his new project 'alloy' in 2025.

30th April 2024 sees Alexandra as a highlighted composer and performer on International JazzDay, bringing her quintet to Columbus, Ohio as the main artist of the 2024 ColumbusInternational Jazz Series in conjunction with Jazz Appreciation month presented by leadingjazz organisation 'A Tribe for Jazz'.

She has performed at many festivals around the world including Montreux Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, recently an artist in residence at the Guimarães Jazz Festival, Unity Jazz Festival at the Lincoln Centre, London Jazz Festival, Love Supreme Jazz Festival and many more all across europe and is reguarly touring around europe and the US with her own projects and as a side person."

"Dave Adewumi is an award-winning trumpet player, composer, and educator captivated by the transcendental nature of music. His work is derivative from the great black improvisers and composers of the past, yet pushes forward to capture the totality of the human experience. From his strong Nigerian upbringing in New Hampshire, he established an unquenchable thirst for music creation leading him to study at the New England Conservatory (class of '16). Mentored by a number of critically acclaimed musicians including Ralph Alessi, Ran Blake, Frank Carlberg, John McNeil, and the late Laurie Frink, Dave set a foundation that would propel him to his future.

He was accepted to the prestigious Betty Carter Jazz ahead program (class of '15) and the following year studied at The Banff Center, and at Harvard University with Vijay Iyer. In 2016, Dave was accepted to the highly selective Juilliard Jazz Masters Program under the artistic leadership and instruction of Wynton Marsalis. In 2017, he was the first jazz musician and trumpet player to receive the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans.

He has performed around the world including the Panama Jazz Festival, Generations in Jazz Festival (in Australia with James Morrison), and as a featured artist in the Bern Jazz Festival. His most recent collaborations have been with Jason Moran and the Bandwagon's "Absence of Ruin - a meditation on the life of James Reese Europe" at the Kennedy Center, and Dave Douglas' Project "Engage." "

"Mexican born vibraphonist, marimbist and composer Patricia Brennan has been always surrounded by music. She inherited a deep love and appreciation for musical tradition from both parents, as well as being exposed to the musical richness of her native Port of Veracruz. She started studying music at 4 years old, playing latin percussion along salsa records with her father and listening to Jimmy Hendrix and Led Zeppelin records with her mother. Also, around the same age, she started playing piano, influenced by her grandmother who was a concert pianist.

At the age of 17, Patricia was selected from musicians all over the Americas to be part of the Youth Orchestra of the Americas. During this time, she toured every country in the Americas and performed with renowned musicians such as Yo-Yo Ma and Paquito D'Rivera. Before moving to the U. S., Patricia was already performing with the top symphony orchestras in Mexico, such as Xalapa Symphony Orchestra and Mineria Symphony Orchestra. Also, she had already won several awards on marimba competitions and young artist competitions in Mexico and abroad. She was accepted at the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where she was able to perform alongside high caliber musicians from all over the world and conductors such as Simon Rattle and Charles Dutoit. She also performed with the prestigious Philadelphia Orchestra and other acclaimed new music groups such as members from Eight Blackbird.

Patricia's search for freedom in her musical expression led her to find her voice through the vibraphone and mallet percussion in improvisational music and composition.

Currently, Patricia is a member of Grammy nominated John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble and Michael Formanek Ensemble Kolossus. She is also a member of Blind Spot with Teju Cole, a project led by renowned pianist Vijay Iyer along with bassist Linda Oh and writer Teju Cole. She has also collaborated with Vijay Iyer in other projects, including the large ensemble project Open City and several small ensemble performances along with renowned musicians like bassist Reggie Workman and trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith. She is also a member of Phalanx Ambassadors, a project led by pianist Matt Mitchell, and she is also a member of Tomas Fujiwara's 7 Poets Trio along with cellist and composer Tomeka Reid. Among Patricia's own projects include the newly recorded solo project Kaleidoscope and MOCH.

Patricia has performed with many renown musicians including singer and composer Meredith Monk and Theo Bleckmann, saxophonists Jon Irabagon and Scott Robinson, trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, drummer Marcus Gilmore, guitarist Mary Halvorson and many others. She has performed in venues such as Newport Jazz Festival, SF JAZZ, and Carnegie Hall, as well as international venues such as Wiener Konzerthaus in Vienna, Austria, Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City and Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She has also appeared on National Television and Public Radio several times.

Patricia has appeared on several recordings, including an ECM recording with Michael Formanek Ensemble Kolossus called "The Distance" and Matt Mitchell's featured recordings "A Pouting Grimace" and "Phalanx Ambassadors" under Pi Recordings. Also, Patricia recorded a new record with the Grammy nominated John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble called "All Can Work" which was released in January 2018 under New Amsterdam Records. Patricia will be releasing her debut solo album "Kaleidoscope" in 2019."

"Kate Pass is a bassist and composer based in New York City. Originally hailing from Perth, Western Australia, Kate is currently studying her Masters of Music at The New School, NY.

Kate has performed at an array of festivals and events in Asia, USA, Europe and Australia with highlights including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Symphony Space, WOMADelaide, Singapore Jazz Festival, Penang Island Jazz Festival, Bern Jazz Festival and Ghent Festival. Since moving to New York, Kate has performed with artists such as Dave Douglas, Anat Cohen, Alison Miller, Carmen Staaf, Rudy Royston and Patricia Brenan. She is currently a member of Dave Douglas' ensemble "Alloy," Maya Cohen Quartet and Akihito Gorai Group.

In Australia Kate leads "Kohesia Ensemble," an intercultural group of Iranian and Australian musicians. Kate has released 3 albums with Kohesia Ensemble, including Sand, Sea and Sky Suite, commissioned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. With Kohesia, Kate won the West Australian Music Industry's "Jazz Act of the Year" in 2022 and 2023, Song of The Year in 2022, and the Perth Fringe World Martin Sims Award in 2020. Kate has toured the US and Australia with Iranian artists such as Tara Tiba, Mohsen Namjoo, Ali Azimi, Marjan Farsad, Pallet and Moein. Kate has recorded albums with ensembles she composes for, including Artemis Orchestra, Carlton/Macpherson/Pass/Valenti and Turiya. Kate has received grants and scholarships from Edith Cowan University, The New School, the American Australian Association, the Jack Bendat Foundation, Creative Australia and the WA Department of Local Government.

As well as being a performer/composer, Kate is also a passionate educator with 15 years of experience teaching at schools, universities and institutions including at The West Australian Academy of Performing Arts and West Australian Youth Jazz Orchestra.

Kate is also active as an arts manager and administrator, and cares deeply about the promotion of arts in society. She was the President of the Perth Jazz Society from 2019-2023, co-presented the Lyric Lane Jazz Festival from 2021-2023, was the Quest Manager of Fairbridge Festival and served on the Board of WAYJO for four years. Kate currently works for NY record label, Greenleaf Music.

Research is also an important aspect of Kate's work. Her 2013 Honours Thesis (A Transcultural Journey: Integrating Elements of Persian Classical Music with Jazz) led to the formation of Kohesia Ensemble. In 2021, Kate was invited to contribute to the Journal of Intercultural Studies, resulting in the article: From Iran to Australia: Intercultural Encounters in Music. She recently presented on a panel at The Musicological Society of Australia conference, on the topic of practice-based research in Australian Jazz."

A native of Ft. Worth, Texas, Rudy Royston was raised in Denver, Colorado. He began playing drums and percussion as a toddler, playing in church and along with an eclectic array of LPs his siblings would have on rotation. The youngest of five, Royston attributes his musical interests and palate to his siblings and parents. Rudy's older brothers and sister were avid listeners of all genres of music, his mother a constant support, and his father the supervisor of shipping at an established children's percussion instrument making company. Rudy's brothers would expose him to a myriad of music, and his father would bring home slightly damaged percussion instruments. As a result, Rudy grew up surrounded by bongos, rhythm sticks and xylophones, recorders, metallophones, glockenspiels, drums and many other percussion instruments. In the fourth grade, with his mother's ceaseless support, Rudy began studying music more formally, beginning his studies in reading and writing music. He continued his music studies through middle and into high school-receiving some training on viola and tenor saxophone as well.

While a sophomore in high school, Rudy attended the Telluride Jazz Camp in Telluride, Colorado on scholarship, where he studied jazz drum set for the first time with Duffy Jackson and Ed Soph. It was then Rudy knew he would pursue music the rest of his life. He began studying classical and jazz repertoire, as well as marching percussion, rising to achieve membership into topnotch city and state-wide high school ensembles.

Rudy went on to study marching percussion, classical percussion and Jazz Performance at University of Northern Colorado, Metropolitan State College of Denver, and University of Denver. Rudy graduated with honors from University of Denver, where he received Bachelor of Arts degrees in Music and Poetry. He later received K-12 teaching credentials from Metropolitan State College of Denver.

While in college, Rudy began playing with well-regarded trumpeter Ron Miles, whom Rudy deems his greatest teacher and music mentor. Now a major figure in the Denver music scene, Rudy performed with some of Colorado's finest artists such as Fred Fuller, Dale Bruning, Laura Newman, Fred Hess, Dotsero, Leslie Drayton, Joe Keel, Nelson Rangell and Bill Frisell-with whom he still plays.

Upon graduating college, Rudy went on to play and record in the gospel, alternative rock and jazz scenes in Denver and around the United States. He taught music 10 years in public schools before relocating to the east coast in 2006 to pursue graduate studies in music at Rutgers University, Mason Gross School of the Arts, studying jazz percussion with the great Victor Lewis. Rudy quickly integrated into the New York music scene, performing with world-renowned artists such as Javon Jackson, Bill Frisell, Les McCann, David Gilmore, Ben Allison, Jason Moran, JD Allen, Sean Jones, Jeremy Pelt, Greg Osby, Jennifer Holiday, Tia Fuller, Ravi Coltrane, Ralph Bowen, Bruce Barth, George Colligan, Don Byron, Stanley Cowell, Tom Harrell, John Ellis, Jenny Scheinman, John Patitucci, Dave Douglas, Branford Marsalis, Rudresh Mahanthappa and The Mingus Big Band, to name a few. A lover of all genres of music, Rudy continues to expand his horizons as he gains increasing recognition in the world of Jazz.