2026 faculty.

SAXOPHONE — Hailed as a "Sax Phenom" by the New York Daily News, Chad LB is a featured artist on 2 GRAMMY winning albums, and has toured through 6 continents playing venues from Carnegie Hall to the Super Bowl.

As a bandleader, he’s headlined jazz venues and festivals around the world, and as a soloist he’s joined acts like Chris Botti, Arturo Sandoval, and Christian McBride.

No stranger to the big screen, Chad has been featured on numerous TV shows with pop icons like Taylor Swift, rock legends like Don Henley, as well as the Hollywood film, “Here Today” with Billy Crystal and Tiffany Haddish.

TROMBONE — 6x Best Trombone recipient by Downbeat, Wycliffe Gordon is an award-winning fixture of the international jazz scene with a storied career.

As an educator, Gordon has shaped generations worldwide through hundreds of masterclasses and full-time faculty positions at institutions like The Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music (MSM).

Gordon was an original member of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and has shared the stage with luminaries like Paul Simon, Dianne Reeves, Doc Severinsen, Dizzy Gillespie, and Joe Henderson.

DRUMS — Among the most revered on the planet for his sense of time and complex rhythms, Ari Hoenig is an award-winning drummer, composer, educator, and producer with over 14 albums as a leader.

Hoenig has collaborated on stage and in-studio with artists including Shirley Scott, Kenny Werner, Joshua Redman, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Richard Bona, Chris Potter, and Billy Childs.

In addition to his online and published educational work, Ari serves on faculty at New York University (NYU), The New School, and guest lectures at universities worldwide.

BASS — The inimitable jazz pirate hailing from Jamaica, Russell Hall is a bassist, bandleader, and composer known for his singular musical personality and presence on the global jazz scene.

A student of Ron Carter at The Juilliard School, Hall has established himself among a formidable set of collaborators playing with Wayne Shorter, Branford Marsalis, Jon Batiste, Roy Hargrove, and Joey Alexander.

Hall is famously known for his work with the Emmet Cohen Trio, viewed weekly by millions on “Live from Emmet’s Place”, and leads his own critically acclaimed bands including Bessie and the Rainbowkids.

TRUMPET — Acclaimed as “one of the best up and coming jazz musicians on the globe” (International Trumpet Guild Journal), Kellin Hanas is a trumpeter, composer, educator, and comedian.

Hanas has become an online inspiration to an audience of over 250K - documenting her impressive career playing on Broadway’s Just In Time with Jonathan Groff to touring with pop and jazz artists Darren Criss, Tituss Burgess, the Manhattan Transfer, Michael Feinstein, Sean Jones, Christian McBride, and Dee Dee Bridgewater.

Hanas has released multiple books and video courses with Jazz Lesson Videos and is an endorsed artist with Bach and Conn-Selmer.

GUITAR — From all sides of the industry, Ben Eunson has established himself as a prominent guitar voice and educator in contemporary music.

From jazz to commercial projects, Eunson has collaborated with a wide array of artists including John Legend, Questlove, Queen Latifah, Terri Lyne Carrington, Lalah Hathaway, Dave Chappelle, Myron Walden, and Dave Liebman.

As a touring musician, Eunson’s artistry has brought him to Brazil, Iceland, Morocco, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom and Australia - as well as performances at iconic venues like the Hollywood Bowl and appearances on shows like Pose (Netflix) and Christmas in Rockefeller Center (NBC).

PIANO — Praised by the New York Times for “reamplifying the tradition of jazz piano”, Luther S. Allison is an internationally renowned multi-instrumentalist, composer, and educator.

Racking up credits, Allison has been an indelible part of the jazz community touring, recording, and collaborating with artists like Samara Joy, Jazzmeia Horn, Etienne Charles, Helen Sung, The Baylor Project, and Wynton Marsalis.

Allison was commissioned by Marsalis to compose an original work for the GRAMMY-nominated Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Allison has also appeared as an actor and recording musician for films including Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride starring Christian Bale.

VOICE — A Juilliard graduate and winner of the 2025 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, Kate Kortum has become a familiar face on the most iconic stages in jazz including Birdland, Blue Note, Mezzrow, Dizzy’s Club, SXSW Festival, and Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Kortum has toured internationally and collaborated with modern jazz leaders including Cyrille Aimée, Bryan Carter, Peter Bernstein, Wynton Marsalis and the world renowned Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

A leader in growing an audience in the 21st century, Kortum has amassed a fanbase of over 350K and has attracted over 6.5 million streams for her two studio albums.

SAXOPHONE — Touring and teaching worldwide, Ryan Devlin is a saxophonist, woodwinds instructor, and the Executive Director of Jazz Lesson Videos.

As a member and featured soloist, Devlin has appeared with the GRAMMY winning The 8-Bit Big Band and performed with notable artists including Ravi Coltrane, Chad LB, and Ulysses Owens Jr.

Starting in 2026, Devlin has joined the leadership staff as Associate Director of Global Jazz Workshop.

SAXOPHONE — Most well-known for his YouTube persona "Saxologic", Nathan Graybeal is a saxophonist and educator from North Carolina. Originally an avid drawer then animator, he has transferred his love for art to saxophone.

Nathan obtained a bachelor’s degree in both jazz and classical saxophone performance from East Carolina University and a master’s degree in studio jazz performance from the University of Miami.

He currently earns a living through YouTube Adsense by acquiring an average range of 200,000 - 600,000 views to his channel every month, affiliate marketing with his numerous saxophone endorsers/sponsors, and selling digital pedagogical eBooks which have amassed over 2,500 sales worldwide.

VOICE — An emerging polymath in the music industry, Christian Wiggs is a vocalist, bandleader, lyricist, producer, director, artist manager, educator, record label executive, television show host and founder of Bandstand Presents.

Born to a choreographer, Wiggs’ immersion into theatre and the jazz tradition has led to a remarkable career as an artist, performing on prolific stages such as Birdland, Blue Note, Dizzy’s Club and SXSW. Wiggs has produced major live and studio productions including at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Sydney Opera House, Royal Albert Hall and the In Memoriam performance at the 78th Annual BAFTA Awards.

Reaching millions of viewers with his television show Jazz Tonight (PBS), Wiggs manages 2x GRAMMY and Tony Award-winner Bryan Carter, Emmet Cohen, and serves as the music manager for global icon Jeff Goldblum.