Wycliffe Gordon
Wycliffe Gordon’s impressive career has taken him around the world, performing to great acclaim while solidifying his place in musical history as one of the best trombonists of his generation. He was awarded “Best Trombone” by Downbeat Magazine’s Critics’ Poll for the last three years, and Jazz Journalists Association has named him “Trombonist of the Year” eight times. Wycliffe is a former veteran member of the Wynton Marsalis Septet and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. He is a prolific composer as well as recording artist, and as a leader he has released more than 20 CDs and performed on countless recordings for artists of all caliber. His jazz arrangement of the theme song for NPR’s “All Things Considered” is heard daily on stations around the world. Additionally, Gordon is one of America’s most committed music educators. Highly sought after for master classes and workshops, he also serves on the faculty at Manhattan School of Music and in 2014 he was named Artist-in-Residence at Georgia Regents University.
Karisma Jay
True to her name, Brooklyn native Karisma Jay has been dancing and performing since the tender age of 2. Currently, she is a featured performer with the international sensation, STOMP. She is also the Founder and Artistic Director of Brooklyn’s AbunDance Academy of the Arts. Teaching dance since the age of 10, she has become skilled at developing the confidence and charisma of even her shyest students, who range in age from 2 to 92. An alumna of LaGuardia High School of Music & Art (Dance) and NYU Gallatin (Pre-Med and Performing Arts), Karisma has performed/toured with prestigious dance companies such as Brooklyn Ballet, Maimouna Keita, Creative Outlet, Asase Yaa, and Ronald K. Brown’s Evidence. Her TV credits include programs aired on Netflix, BET, MTV, NBC, and VH1, to name a few.