Having been praised for "pristine playing, meticulous composing" and "a very personal voice deserving of attention," award-winning guitarist, composer, and educator Denin Slage-Koch has established himself as one of the most exciting rising musicians on the scene today. He has performed and recorded with artists including Ryan Keberle, Shane Endsley, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Gregory Tardy, Carmen Bradford, and the Colorado Symphony, released three albums of original music, published a book, and won a tenure-track position on the jazz faculty at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, all before turning 30. His most recent release, "It Comes in Waves," featuring trombonist Ryan Keberle and trumpeter Shane Endsley, arrived in Fall 2023 to critical acclaim and global airplay, with critics calling it "impressive" and "a masterpiece." Slage-Koch is also frequently in demand as a composer and arranger, having written for artists including Kurt Rosenwinkel, Melissa Aldana, Carmen Bradford, the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra, and the Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra. He is a two-time recipient of the ASCAP Foundation's Herb Alpert Young Composers Award and maintains a consistent workload of commissions. Slage-Koch holds a Doctor of Arts in Jazz Studies from the University of Northern Colorado, a Master of Music from the Eastman School of Music, and a Bachelor of Arts from Whitworth University. His major teachers include Kurt Rosenwinkel, Gary Versace, Dave Rivello, and Bill Dobbins. His music draws influence from a wide range of artists, from Pat Metheny and Wes Montgomery to Radiohead, Led Zeppelin, and Gustav Mahler.

www.deninkochmusic.com

A native of Buffalo, NY, Dr. John Hasselback III is an award-winning lyrical trumpet soloist, composer, educator, and music-industry professional whose vibrant sound bridges the rich tradition of jazz with a forward-looking creative vision. A native of Buffalo, New York, his playing fuses the timeless elegance of the past with the dynamic energy of the present, honed equally on the bandstand and in the classroom. Hasselback was awarded a full-tuition Doctoral Fellowship at the Eastman School of Music, a Graduate Talent Scholarship at the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College, and a full-tuition scholarship to the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz at the Hartt School of Music. He studied with master trumpeters Freddie Hendrix, Ingrid Jensen, Jon Faddis, and Clay Jenkins, as well as renowned arrangers Dave Rivello and Bill Dobbins. He has performed alongside Grammy Award-winning artists and esteemed musicians including Joe Lovano and NEA Jazz Master Jimmy Heath, appearing at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Dizzy's Club, The Blue Note, The Apollo Music Café, The White Plains Jazz Festival, and The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, among many others. As a composer, his work spans intimate jazz chamber music to large-scale works for jazz and symphonic orchestras. Dr. Hasselback has held faculty positions at Syracuse University, the Eastman School of Music, and the Oberlin Conservatory, and is currently Assistant Professor of Jazz Studies at SUNY Purchase College. He regularly serves as a clinician and guest artist with students and ensembles nationwide.

www.johnhasselback.com

Zhengtao Pan is a Shanghai-born composer, arranger, and orchestrator, increasingly recognized as one of the most in-demand composer/arrangers of his generation, with work spanning jazz, concert music, and media scoring. A graduate of Berklee College of Music with a double major in Jazz Composition and Classical Music Composition, he is currently pursuing a dual master's degree in Jazz Writing and Film Scoring at the Eastman School of Music. In the media world, Pan has contributed music to more than 20 game projects, including 4 PC and PS5 titles. His credits include Wuthering Waves, Lost Soul Aside, One Piece: The Bloodline, and Arknights, and he has provided music outsourcing and production support for companies such as ByteDance, Masaya Games, and miHoYo. Beyond screen-based work, Pan is active as a composer for large ensembles and concert stages. His music has received major recognition, including being selected as Best Large Instrumental Composition by the Jazz Education Network and earning five DownBeat Student Music Awards across categories including small ensemble composition. He has also won multiple ASMAC honors, including the Pat Williams Composing & Arranging Competition and the Bill Conti Big Band Arranging Competition, and received top awards at the Bridges Composition Competition (Ravinia Jazz Festival). Pan's big band works have been performed by leading artists and ensembles including Grammy-winning artist Steven Feifke's Big Band, saxophonist Alexa Tarantino, and the Eastman New Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Dave Rivello.

www.zhengtaopan.com

Joey Stempien (b. 2004) is a Rochester, NY-based composer and bandleader whose work in contemporary concert and jazz music has been nationally recognized. His music has been brought to life by the talents of the US Army Field Band Jazz Ambassadors, Eastman Jazz Ensemble, and Airmen of Note, among others. Stempien has studied under the tutelage of Dave Rivello and Christine Jensen at the Eastman School of Music, and has been mentored by the likes of Mark Powell, Omar Thomas, and Dave Chisholm. He has received commissions from educational institutions and consortiums across the country, and regularly works as a guest clinician and conductor. Stempien was named the winner of the Midwest Clinic’s 2025 Barbara Buehlman Prize in Composition for his wind ensemble work Montréal at Night. Stempien is the founder and director of the Joey Stempien Big Band, a professional touring jazz orchestra through which he presents his original works. In addition, he is an active performer, appearing regularly as a jazz pianist and multi-instrumentalist. Stempien is completing degrees in Music (BA) and Environmental Science (BS) from the University of Rochester. His original works for wind ensemble and big band are available through C. Alan Publications, Murphy Music Press, and Alcocer Music Publishing.

www.joeystempien.com

Mckenna Reeve (she/her) is a versatile drummer/percussionist, award-winning composer, and accomplished educator based in Los Angeles. She serves as a percussionist and board member for the Los Angeles Brass Alliance and as the Assistant Director for the Gay Freedom Band of LA's Jazz Band. Reeve has toured the US as a sideman and can be heard on recent releases by Benjamin Boone, Julie Koenig, the No Hands Brass Band, and her own "Live From Greeley" and "Lavender Skies, Golden Plains." Her compositions have been performed by the UNC Jazz Festival All-Star Band, their Spectrum Studio Orchestra, all 3 UNC Lab Bands, the Los Angeles Brass Alliance, and the UNO Metropolitan Area Jazz Orchestra. Her original works span from small group jazz to concert band, studio orchestra, big band, and percussion ensemble with an emphasis on compositions meant for educational level ensembles. Originally from California's Central Valley, Reeve grew up surrounded by kind and passionate music educators and performers whose mentorship shaped her musical growth. As a result, working as an educator as well as a performer and composer is a priority — she loves presenting and teaching at conferences, adjudicating jazz festivals, working with local schools, and teaching privately. Reeve received her B.M. in Jazz Studies and M.M. in Jazz Composition at the University of Northern Colorado. She can be found teaching, writing, and performing in the southern California area, where she currently resides. More information can be found at www.mckennareevemusic.com

Founder, Alcocer Music Publishing

Dr. Andrew Watkins-Alcocer, D.M.A., is a trombonist and educator with a background in both performance and composition. Raised in Fresno, California, his passion for music was nurtured from a young age, leading to him pursuing an undergraduate degree at California State University, Fresno, followed by a master’s and doctorate at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. As a performer, Alcocer was named “Outstanding College Trombonist” by the Reno Jazz Festival in both 2017 and 2018 and was a part of the “Outstanding Trombone Section” of the inaugural Jack Rudin Jazz Championships at Jazz at Lincoln Center in 2020. As a composer, Alcocer has been award 2nd place in the America Prize’s Ernst Bacon Memorial Award, the Global Music Award’s silver medal for his piece “Soliloquy,” as well as their bronze medal for his arrangement of “Storm,” and was recently selected to take part in masterclasses for the International Society of Jazz Arrangers and Composers. His work can be heard internationally by various ensembles, artists, and on radio stations in countries such as Italy, Germany, Australia, and China. In addition to his individual accomplishments, Alcocer has performed with various notable ensembles, including the Dave Rivello Ensemble, BIOdance, the Eastman Jazz Ensemble, Fresno’s Jazz Composer’s Orchestra, Rumba 3/2, the Sequoia Symphony Orchestra, and the Yosemite Symphony Orchestra. Alcocer currently serves as Assistant Professor of Jazz and Commercial Music at UNC Wilmington, and has previously held positions at SUNY Geneseo, Clovis Community College, Reedley College, and the University of Rochester.

www.alcocermusic.com