Faculty
Past and Present
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Michael Bowie – Bassist and Composer
Michael Bowie is an internationally recognized musician, performing on both the electric and contrabass. With roots in the Washington D.C. jazz and gospel community, he was a recipient of the National Endowment of the Arts Award in Jazz Studies and trained with Betty Carter and Keter Betts. Soon after, Michael signed with Verve Records as an original member of "The Harper Brothers". He went on to perform, record and tour with Abdulla Ibrahim, Michel Pettruciani, including the Grammy Award winning "Look What I Got" with Betty Carter. Michael has expanded his musical interests and performance to include a wide variety of musical forms from jazz to symphony to rock. As musical director he has worked with many artists worldwide including Patti Labelle, James Ingram, Jeff Majors, Abbey Lincoln, Angie Stone, Isaac Hayes, Gil Scott-Heron. He has shared his talents in the recording studio and on the stage with Sarah Vaughn, Joe Williams, Manhattan Transfer, Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, Della Reece, and Michel Camilo and Ricky Skaggs. He has appeared on countless television shows such as BET on Jazz, Austin City Limits, Charlie Rose, Radio One, and has performed at major venues and festivals such as Carnegie Hall, the Newport Jazz Festival, Playboy Jazz Festival, Montreux, and most other major festivals world-wide. His company, FamForte Productions is a family affair that provides a variety of multi-media services including music production, composition, and consulting. Their works can be heard in television, radio and the industrial markets as well. In addition to his personal musical career, Michael is deeply involved in developing children's music enrichment. He is a former teacher in Washington D.C.'s Public School system where he served as the music instructor at Fillmore Arts Center, Deal Middle School, and Oyster Adams Bilingual Campus. As a lecturer and associate professor he has taught at Shenandoah Conservatory, Michigan University, University of Missouri, and Bowie State amongst others. In addition, he has worked with the Wolftrap Institute for Early Childhood Learning program in Virginia, and the Thelonius Monk Institute in Washington DC. Currently, Michael serves as the Musical Director for the Blues Alley Youth Orchestra.
Janelle Gill - Piano
There’s an ethereal journey that pianist Janelle Gill, brings listeners on that transcends the boundaries of jazz. Through her work of self exploration as it exists in music, she has tapped into a vein of fluidity that heals with sound. Born and raised in Washington, D.C. Janelle is a graduate of Duke Ellington School of the Arts and attended Howard University. Her unique musical expression has brought her to work closely with musicians such as Delfeyo Marsalis, Oliver Lake, David Murray, The Blackbyrds, Maurice Hines’ in his Tappin’ Through Life as well as local artists including Marshall Keys, Nasar Abadey, and Kris Funn. Some of the venues she has been in concert at include the Kennedy Center, The Library of Congress, DC Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, Montreux Jazz Festival, and Baku Jazz Festival. As Janelle continues to be a student of life and welcomes new experiences she recently expanded her titles to musical director for the production of Toni Morrison’s Desdemona and A Tribute to Chuck Brown and Eva Cassidy with InSeries Opera Company. She remains a musical educator to everyone of all walks of life.
Shacara Rogers - Vocals
Shacara Rogers is a vocalist, songwriter, and vocal coach from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She graduated with her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music Degrees from Howard University. She had been a lead soloist of Afro Blue, Howard's premier vocal jazz ensemble, and has performed at many different arenas with artists like Patti LaBelle, Dianne Reeves, Esperanza Spalding, and many others. In 2018 she released her debut album, 16 Moments, and became an internationally acclaimed artist with her first 4 week tour of Russia in 2019. Her most current releases of 2021 include a single called His Will, and a full length album entitled In Jesus’ Name I Sing. She also won the 2021 Wammie Award for Best Gospel/Inspirational Song in the DMV area with her single, His Will. Over the last nine years, this wife and mother has won many awards, released three full length albums, two singles, a music video, become an international performing artist, served seven years teaching on the collegiate level, and become an entrepreneur. She trains vocalists and public speakers under her newest business Keys to the Vox. Her future plans include continuing to release more positive life-giving music, singing all over the world, continuing in her teaching career, and further scaling her businesses.
Lenny Robinson - Drums
Born in Philadelphia and raised in Baltimore, Lenny Robinson has become one of the leading drummer musicians in Jazz. Educated at Peabody Conservatory, Morgan State University, The Armed Forces School of Music and bandstands around the world, he has performed and or recorded with Stanley Turrentine, Marlena Shaw, Lou Donaldson, Ahmad Jamal, Terence Blanchard and a host of others. He has taught in various institutions with his last position being the Director of Bands at The Landon School in Bethesda, Md. He continues to be a performer, educator, producer and mentor in service to this great music that has become known as Jazz.
Kenny Rittenhouse - Trumpet
Kenny Rittenhouse is an accomplished musician with a strong educational background in music, earning Bachelor's and Master’s degrees in performance and Jazz Studies. Kenny's impressive career includes serving as a member of The United States Army Band (Pershing's Own) from 1990 to 2020, notably as part of The U.S. Army Blues Jazz Ensemble. He shared stages with renowned artists such as Ernie Andrews, Kevin Mahogany, and Arturo Sandoval. Beyond his military service, Kenny is a member of the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra and a past member of the Pittsburgh Jazz Orchestra, having performed alongside legends like Jimmy Heath and Ahmad Jamal. He currently directs the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Youth Orchestra and also teaches Applied Trumpet at Morgan State University.
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Kevin Kearney - Drums
Kevin Kearney Jr. graduated from the Duke Ellington School of the Arts and is currently studying at Peabody Conservatory. He has been a part of The Blues Alley Camp, led by Michael Bowie and The Washington Jazz Arts Institute led by Davey and Ester Yarborough as well as being in the Herbie Hancock Institute led by JB Dyas, as well as being on their peer to peer tour. He has played at places such as the Kennedy Center, Olney Theatre, Artscentric, Baltimore Center Stage and, The Vice President's home (twice). He also has had the honor of playing with many great dc musician’s such as Paul Carr, Marshall Keys, Michael Bowie, Allyn Johnson, Reginald Cyntje, Brian Settles and Jessica Settles just to name a few.​
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Connor Holdridge - Guitar
Connor Holdridge is a jazz guitarist, composer and improvisor. Steeped in electric blues, surf guitar and early jazz, he approaches music from a unique perspective, which is evident in his playing. As an artist and educator, Connor greatly values the act of collaboration. He believes the best music is created through the joy of interacting with the musicians around him.
Connor can be found regularly performing in the greater Washington D.C. area in a multitude of projects: gypsy jazz band Ultrafaux/Hot Club of Baltimore, his early jazz band The Hot Mess, and the neo-soul and jazz group Attic Sessions. Additionally, he enjoys creating alongside regular collaborators such as Gabe Wallace, Joe Brotherton, Nataly Merezhuk and Taisha Estrada.
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Joshua Kauffman - Trumpet
Joshua Kauffman, an in-demand performer and educator in the Washington Metropolitan area, can be seen and heard at major venues like The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Capitol One Arena, The Anthem, Blues Alley, Keystone Korner, the Strathmore, National Theatre and teaches regularly at The National Jazz Workshop and is frequently seen as a guest artist and clinician with colleges and schools throughout the US.
Equally at home in the jazz and classical idioms, Joshua has had the opportunity to share the stage with James Taylor, The National Symphony Orchestra, Doc Severinsen, Hugh Jackman, Randy Brecker, Dianne Reeves, Bobby McFerrin, Arturo Sandoval, Franki Valli and the Four Seasons, Sean Jones, Ben Folds, Jacob Collier, Smokey Robinson, The Big Apple Circus, Renee Fleming and many others.
Kauffman enjoys a career as one of the first call trumpet players throughout the East Coast and United States. A regular sight at the Kennedy Center, Joshua can be heard with the National Symphony Orchestra and Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra. He has been performing as guest lead trumpet with the NSO Pops since 2020 and the KCOHO since 2018. He has also played principal trumpet on national Broadway tours since 2018.
He travels around the United States to perform swing music for national and international events like The International Lindy Hop Championships, DC Lindy Exchange, Beantown Camp and other swing music and dancing events and competitions.
Originally from New Castle, Pennsylvania, Kauffman attended The University of North Texas where he played in the Grammy nominated One O’Clock Lab Band from 2014-2017 where he held both the solo and lead trumpet chairs. While in the One O’Clock Lab Band, he performed at the inaugural concert of Cancer Blows, Monterey Jazz Festival and traveled to Australia to perform at the Generations in Jazz Festival with famed multi-instrumentalist, James Morrison. He graduated in 2017 Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies.
Days before graduation, Joshua auditioned and won a position with The United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own” where he currently holds the first trumpet chair of The U.S. Army Blues, the premiere jazz ensemble of The United States Army.
Joshua has had many great teachers and mentors in his life including Allen Vizzutti, Jay Saunders, Paul Stephens, John Holt, Rodney Booth, Mike Steinel, Dr. Stephen Hawk and others.
Kauffman is a Yamaha Performing Artist and exclusively plays GR Mouthpieces.
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Elijah Easton - Saxophone
Elijah Easton is a passionate and dedicated tenor saxophonist from the District of Columbia. He has played alongside Jon Batiste, Wynton Marsalis, Paquito D’Rivera, The Lincoln Center Big Band, Benny Golson, Marc Cary, Citizen Cope and most recently DJ Jazzy Jeff. Currently, he is a member of the Thad Wilson Jazz Orchestra. With a passion for Jazz he frequently plays in and around the District of Columbia.
Since 2009 he has played at The Blue Note, Smalls Jazz Club, Dizzy’s Club, The Kennedy Center, The Phillips Collection, The National Museum of African American History and Culture, Bohemian Caverns along with other historic venues around the Washington D.C. area including The White House. He frequently plays in various bands from Nag Champa (an electronic experimental jazz band), to the DonVonte McCoy Quintet. He has toured with Biscuit Miller & the Mix through New England for the North Atlantic Blues Fest and has enjoyed playing Blues and Funk in Key West, Florida. He held a residency with his band the Elijah Easton Trio (including Taurus Mateen and Dana Hawkins) at Service Bar. Inspired by the Jazz musicians of yesterday he aims to commemorate the greats, while taking part in tomorrows music.
He is one of the most sought after musicians in the DMV, with a balance between soulful, thought-provoking melodies and stimulating, toe-tapping rhythms. His performance is constantly shifting and will always serve as a breath of fresh air.
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CV Dashiell - Drums
Carroll V. Dashiell, III is a drummer/percussionist living in the Washington D.C. Metropolitan area. CV, (as he is called) was born in Washington, DC and raised in Greenville, NC. Displaying an interest for the drums at an early age, his performance history includes a premiere performance at Carnegie Hall as the featured drummer and soloist with the East Carolina University Jazz Ensemble at the age of 14. CV has performed with Wallace Ronney, Geri Allen, Grady Tate, Benny Golson, The Yellowjackets, Bob Mintzer, Antone “Chooky“ Caldwell, The National Symphony Orchestra, The Alexandria Symphony Orchestra, Connaitre Miller, Alan Baylock Jazz Orchestra, Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra, Darin Atwater & The Soulful Symphony, Steven Ford,Ashford & Simpson, Terell Stafford, Bobby Watson & Horizon, Patti Label, and Debbie Allen, Cyrus Chestnut, Sean Jones, Warren Wolf, Brent Birckhead, Mark G. Meadows and the Marsalis Family Group.
During his time at Howard University, CV was the drummer for the Howard University Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Fred Irby, III where he was the 2006 and 2008 Zildjian Scholarship Recipient. In addition to accompanying Afro Blue, the Downbeat award winning Howard University Vocal Jazz Ensemble. CV was the Principal Percussionist, and Timpianist for 2 years in the Howard University Wind Ensemble. During his time in the Wind Ensemble, CV was Co-Principal Percussionist in the First Anual Historically Black College Wind Ensmble as a freshmen. In 2010 CV was named Best Collegiate drummer in Downbeat Magazine’s Student Poll edition.
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Donato Soviero - Guitar
Donato Soviero is an inspiring Washington DC–based guitarist who’s been performing music for over 40 years. Through live performances and studio recordings, he’s honed his creativity to become a distinctive voice in jazz. Donato began studying the guitar and composition at the age of twelve. By high school, he had already set a course as a jazz musician. His formal jazz studies began at the University of Miami, and later he earned a bachelor’s degree from George Mason University. Donato has appeared with top local and national artists in the Washington D.C. area since 1982, and led his own groups in the United States, Europe, and the Caribbean. He has appeared at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Wolf Trap, and the Carter Barron Amphitheater, where he opened for Poncho Sanchez and the late Tito Puente. Mr. Soviero has also led bands in DC venues such as the Kennedy Center, Blues Alley, Twins Jazz, the Bohemian Caverns, the Smithsonian Jazz Café, Bethesda Jazz and Blues, and several Jazz festivals. He has been a member of the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, as co-led the Jazz-fusion group, MARS 4tet with saxophonist Jeff Antoniuk. He’s performed for several Presidents, and at the State Department for the Thelonious Monk Institute. Mr. Soviero has been the recipient of awards, including a 1994 TAP Award from the D.C. Commission of the Arts and Humanities and a 1995 GIA Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. Recent recordings include the 2021 release “Brazilian Moments”, 2019 release “For All We Know”, “The Blind Watchmaker” (w/Mars 4’Tet), many features as sideman, and a CD tribute to Charlie Byrd entitled “Classical Jazz.”