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RAVINIA’S STEANS MUSIC INSTITUTE
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Jalen Baker
, vibraphone
Jalen Baker, born in Washington
DC and raised in Houston, TX,
is a vibraphonist, educator, and
composer. Graduating in May
2017, Jalen received his BM in
Jazz Studies from Columbia
College Chicago while studying with Jarrett Hicks.
He is currently pursuing his MM in Jazz Studies as a
Graduate Assistant at Florida State University Jalen’s
musical ability has been acknowledged on numerous
occasions. While at Columbia College Chicago, he
was named outstanding soloist at both the Notre Dame
and Elmhurst Jazz Festivals and was selected as one
of two students to represent the school at the Arcevia
Jazz Festival in Italy. Jalen is an active musician in
the Chicago area, having played with the Jarred Harris
Quintet, The Dod Kalm Quartet, and Human Bloom to
name a few.
Maleke Clemmon
s, piano
Ann & Bruce Bachmann Family
Fellowship
Maleke Clemmons is a freelance
pianist, bassist, and vibraphonist
who plays throughout the country.
He graduated from Chicago High
School for the Arts in 2014, and he is currently studying
Jazz Piano at CalArts. In Chicago, Maleke has worked
with many musicians and played at well-respected
venues such as the Jazz Showcase, Room 43, and the
Pritzker Pavillion. He has also played with famous
names such as Gerald Clayton, Bobby Watson, Bobby
Broom, Marquis Hill, and Antonio Hart. Maleke has
played at the Chicago Jazz Fest, Hyde Park Jazz Fest,
South Shore Jazz Fest, the and at the Jazz Education
Network. Currently, Maleke is playing in Los Angeles
and plays mostly with his band DeepDarkVibes. As the
bandleader, he has played at many venues such as the
ROD Concert Hall, Tatum Lounge, Florence Library,
Langely Hall, The Pocket and other places around Los
Angeles area. In May, the band released their first music
video of their song, “I Need You,” which was recorded
at Capitol Records.
Theodore Davis
, tenor saxophone
Theodore Davis grew up in
Vancouver, Washington and began
playing saxophone during high
school. He holds a bachelor’s degree
from the University of North Texas,
and is currently pursuing a master’s
degree at Rutgers University. His private teachers and
mentors include Tim Jensen, Renato Caranto, Brad
Leali, and Ralph Bowen. As a writer, Theodore was
awarded first prize in the 2014 Detroit Jazz Festival
Arranging Contest for his reworking of Thad Jones’s
“My Centennial” and recorded his original composition
“Flamingo” on the UNT Latin Jazz Ensemble’s 2016
album
Little ‘D’ Town
. As a performer, Theodore has
been featured as a flutist, clarinetist, and saxophonist
on albums by UNT’s Two O’Clock Lab Band (
Two
Music: It Don’t Mean A Thing, If It…
), UNT Latin Jazz
Ensemble (
Late Night Mambo
, and
Little ‘D’ Town
),
Christian Valdés Sextet, and Denton bands Don Cabo
and Funkle Sam. Theodore has received numerous
Downbeat Magazine
Student Music Awards as a band
member and soloist, and shared the stage with Luis
Conte, Billy Drewes, Tom Grant, Gary Hobbs, Brad
Leali, Bob McChesney, James Morrison, Ted Nash,
Ed Neumeister, Michael Palma, and Scott Wendholt.
He was featured as a soloist with NEA Jazz Master
Candido Camero at the 2014 Jazz Education Network
Convention.
Eric DuPont
, drums
Ravinia Associates Board Program
for Jazz Fellowship
Eric Dupont was born and raised
in New Hampshire, receiving
his first drum set at the age of
12. He initially studied classical
percussion at the University of Massachusetts in 2012,
while studying drum set privately with Boston legend
Fred Buda. In 2013, Eric transferred to the jazz program
at William Paterson University on music scholarship
– he graduated magna cum laude in 2016 as the
Outstanding Musician Award recipient, with a major
in Jazz Studies and Music Management. With the
school’s close proximity to New York City, Eric was
fortunate enough to study under the tutelage of such
drum heavyweights as Winard Harper, Horacee Arnold,
Bill Goodwin, and his mentor, Billy Hart. Eric draws
inspiration from his drum heroes, which include Max
Roach, Philly Joe Jones, Jimmy Cobb, Art Blakey,
Billy Higgins, and Louis Hayes, among many others.
He has received scholarships and grants from the
National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM)
and the Music Business Association. Aside from
performing regularly, he currently teaches privately and
has explored the administrative side of the arts through
his affiliations with Christian McBride and Jazz House
Kids, one of the nation’s preeminent arts education and
performance organizations located in Montclair, NJ.
Shawn Vilanueva
, trumpet
National Federation of Music
Clubs Rose Smith Thomas Award
Shawn Nathan Villanueva was born
August 22, 1996 in Orlando, Florida.
He showed a love of music from an
early age, playing guitar until being
introduced to the trumpet at the Osceola County School
for the Arts (OCSA). Throughout high school he held
lead positions in the top ensembles, as well as in several
statewide jazz bands. Outside of school, he played
with the salsa band Seguro que Sí. In 2013, Seguro
que Sí was hand-selected by Barack and Michelle
Obama to perform for the President’s Inauguration,
becoming the first performers of Hispanic music to do
so. His ensemble at OCSA went on to become finalists
in the prestigious Essentially Ellington Competition,
performing for Wynton Marsalis at Lincoln Center.
While there, Shawn was presented an Outstanding
Trumpet Solo award by Mr. Marsalis. In 2014 he
graduated from OCSA and began pursuing a Bachelor
of Music degree in Jazz Performance at the Florida State
University (FSU). While at FSU, he continually held the
lead trumpet position in their top jazz ensemble for three
years. He plans to continue his education and pursue a
Master’s degree, with the hope of being able to travel the
world to share his love of music.
William Gorman
, piano
William Gorman is a junior at
William Paterson University
pursuing a degree in Jazz Piano,
under the tutelage of master pianists
Bill Charlap and Harold Mabern,
but he’s already become an active
member of the NYC jazz and blues scene and beyond.
As a pianist, organist, composer, arranger, and singer,
his performance credits read of a much older musician:
performances with jazz legends such as Sheila Jordan,
Cameron Brown, Claudio Roditi, Winard Harper, and
Amy London, amongst others. He recently toured
internationally with Grammy award winning and Blues
Hall of Fame inductee Joe Louis Walker’s band, in
addition to performances and tours with blues artists
Vanessa Collier and Solomon Hicks. He’s performed
at clubs and festivals all over the U.S, Europe and
Asia, including B.B. Kings, Blue Note Beijing and
Jazz Madrid. William is from Syracuse, NY, where
he has roots in gospel music, playing and touring
with the Award-winning group, The Bells of Harmony.
He continues to be involved with Jazz House Kids,
the nationally recognized community arts organization
founded by Melissa Walker, which he started with as a
student and now continues as a teaching assistant.
Sarah Hanahan
, alto saxophone
Grace Bersted Fellowship
Sarah Hanahan is a jazz
saxophonist studying performance
at the Jackie McLean Institute of
Jazz within the Hartt School of
Music (University of Hartford).
Now a resident of Hartford, Connecticut but originally
from Marlborough, Massachusetts, Sarah grew up
listening to a wide variety of music, but always had a
special love for jazz. Her father, who plays drums and
percussion, introduced Sarah to music and gave Sarah
her first saxophone at the age of 8. Sarah played lead
alto sax for the Marlborough High School jazz band and
performed with several famous artists including Dave
Pietro and Tom Palance. As a high school senior, Sarah
was lead alto for the New England Conservatory Prep
Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Ken Schaporst,
who taught her much about the history and tradition
of big band music. In 2015, Sarah was awarded a full
scholarship to study jazz performance at the McLean
Institute. Her college teachers include well-known jazz
saxophone performers Javon Jackson and Abraham
Burton. The McLean Institute has also afforded Sarah
the opportunity to receive instruction from and perform
with accomplished jazz musicians such as bassist Nat
Reeves and trombonist Steve Davis. In addition to
her heavy gigging schedule, Sarah recently appeared
as a guest artist at the Caramoor Jazz Festival, and is
scheduled to perform at the Hartford Bushnell Park
2018 Monday Night Jazz Series opening for Terri Lyne
Carrington. She fronts her own quartet/quintet, and also
plays in a jazz duo with jazz guitarist Jeremy Galloway,
a close friend and McLean classmate. Sarah’s main
horn is the Yanagisawa A-991 alto sax. She also plays
soprano sax and flute, and works on piano and drums
in her spare time.
RSMI
JAZZ FELLOWS