* Save $$$ if you register

before May 15.

Guest Artist

Melissa Gardiner, trombone

Emerging jazz trombonist Melissa Gardiner has been described by Curtis Fuller as technically creative and emotionally powerful. Her improvisation is inspiring and motivating for the listener, and she draws you in with a raw expression that directly relates to life experience.

Gardiner is the jazz trombone instructor at Cornell and Syracuse University. As a bandleader, she performs regularly with her jazz organ trio, MG3, and has an album entitled Transitions. 
 

Most notably, she has shared the stage with several legendary musicians including Aretha Franklin, Geri Allen, Wycliffe Gordon, Steve Turre, Gerald Wilson, and Patti Austin.

Embodying the concept of artist as citizen, Gardiner aims to re-connect jazz music to the community, and create an environment of mentorship where students and professionals can make music together.  In just one year of existence, Second Line Syracuse has built an impressive resume so far, working with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, gaining grant funding for community and educational events, and winning the 2015 Syracuse New Times award for Best Jazz Band.

Gardiner received her master’s degree in jazz performance at The Juilliard School where she studied with Steve Turre. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree at The University of Michigan where she studied with Dennis Wilson(jazz) and David Jackson(classical). Former teachers also include Bill Harris, Curtis Fuller and Wycliffe Gordon.

Music Directors 

Dan Shaut (HVYJO)

Saxophonist Dan Shaut received his master’s degree in saxophone performance at the University of Maryland in 2003 and his bachelor’s in music education at Ithaca College in 2001. He has studied with Steve Mauk, Steve Brown, Chris Vadala and Dale Underwood.

He has been on faculty as the saxophone and jazz instructor at Ithaca College’s Summer Music Academy for the past six years. He has recently acted in the same position at the Music Institute of Sullivan and Ulster (MISU)’s summer program. He has been guest conductor of the Dutchess County All-county band, and the Tompkins County All-county band, and a guest clinician for the Orange County Music Educators Association.

Shaut reintroduced the Hudson Valley Youth Jazz program in 2013. See More

Bob Shaut (HVYJO and Woodwind Jazz Ensemble)

Bob Shaut co-founded the Hudson Valley Youth Jazz Orchestra with Richard Wixom in the early 2000s. 

Bob has played professionally since being in high school. He has played saxophone, clarinet and flute in many shows in the Hudson Valley, and has performed several times with the Hudson Valley Philharmonic. Some of the acts that he has performed with include: Andy Williams, the Temptations, Frankie Valli, Jerry Vale, Connie Francis, Eddie Fischer, the Four Tops, Engelbert

Humperdinck, Phyllis Diller, Henny Youngman, Joan Rivers, Regis Philbin , and conducted for George Burns.
As a jazz artist, Bob has performed with many local musicians. Bands that he led are Mosaic, a 12 piece big band; a quintet that released an LP, “Shaut's Thoughts”; Sax Life, a sax quartet with rhythm section. Presently, Bob performs with Sax Life, CBC Trio, the Big Bang Big Band, and Shaut Swing Orchestra. See More

Harvey Boyer (Vocal Jazz Ensemble)

Harvey R. Boyer received both his Bachelors and Masters Degrees from Ithaca

College School of Music. At Ithaca, he majored in voice with a concentration in music education, and studied with Angus Godwin. He performed and toured with the Ithaca College Choir, under the direction of Lawrence Doebler, and the Vocal Jazz ensemble under the direction of Dave and Nancy Riley. For the past 20 years, he has been a Band and Choral Director at the Onteora Central School District.

Over his career, Mr. Boyer has been selected as guest conductor and clinician in Chenango, Dutchess, Greene, Sullivan, and Ulster All-County Festivals. His jazz ensembles have received multiple Gold, and Gold with Distinction ratings at NYSSMA Majors Festivals. Recently, his Jazz Ensembles have been featured in radio performances for WKZE 98.1 and WDST 100.1.  They have also been featured at the Bearsville Theater.  

Currently, Mr. Boyer is Director of Education for the Phoenicia Festival of The Voice.  He is also an assistant director/soloist of the choral ensemble Ars Choralis. Mr. Boyer is an avid performer, and has been the featured guest tenor soloist with the Woodstock Chamber Orchestra performing Handel's "Dettingen Te Deum." Additionally, Mr. Boyer enjoys performing with the ensembles Blue Gardenia, The Will Smith Trio, and D-Squared Blues Band. In all of these ensembles, Mr. Boyer Is lead singer and pianist.

Guest Clinicians

(may vary depending on enrollment)

Tristen Napoli (trumpet)

NYC trumpeter and Kingston High School alumni, Tristen Napoli, has toured the US with the Artie Shaw Orchestra, performed at the Carnegie Club in NYC, and recorded a debut album with a quintet of jazz luminaries. He was selected for the All American Jazz Orchestra. He has performed at major jazz clubs in NYC including; Birdland, Smoke Jazz Club and Smalls Jazz Club.

Matt Finck (guitar)

Over the past 15 years Finck has performed with such fine artists as Steve Wilson, Dennis Mackrel, Randy Brecker, John Medeski, and Roswell Rudd. Finck currently teaches guitar at the College of St. Rose in Albany and recently received his Master's Degree in Music from SUNY Purchase. Finck recently released with Jonathan Ball a critically acclaimed album with legenedary musicians; Randy Brecker, Adam Nussbaum and Jay Anderson.

Previous Guests Artists

Terell Stafford, acclaimed trumpet player based in New York, has been hailed as “one of the great players of our time, a fabulous trumpet player” by piano legend McCoy Tyner. Stafford is recognized as an incredibly gifted and versatile player. He combines a deep love of melody with his own brand of spirited and adventurous lyricism. Stafford’s exceptionally expressive and well defined musical talent allows him to dance in and around the rich trumpet tradition of his predecessors while making his own inroads.  
Since the mid-1990’s, Stafford has performed with groups such as Benny Golson’s Sextet, McCoy Tyner’s Sextet, Kenny Barron Quintet, Frank Wess Quintet, Jimmy Heath Quintet and Big Band, Jon Faddis Jazz Orchestra, Carnegie Hall Jazz Band and Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Alumni Band. Stafford, with the HamiltonClayton Jazz Orchestra, performed on Diana Krall’s GRAMMY nominated "From this Moment On" (2006). As a member of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Stafford was awarded a GRAMMY in 2009. Stafford can be heard on over 130 albums. His latest recording, "This Side of Strayhorn" has been hailed as “the first must have album of 2011” and “genius”.   

Stafford is the Director of Jazz Studies and Chair of Instrumental Studies at Temple University, founder and band leader of the Terell Stafford Quintet, and Managing and Artistic Director of the Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia (JOP). Stafford is renowned in the jazz world as an educator, performer and leader and has received countless award nominations and accolades