Kate Parsons earned her BA from Vassar College and a Masters from Taft University's School of Business. She studied jazz guitar at Berklee School of Music and earned graduate credits in Jazz History and Advanced Harmony from U Mass Amherst.  At the age of 30 she switched to piano and studied in master classes with Billy Taylor, Don Friedman, Armen Donelian and Harvey Diamond. More recently, Kate has studied the art of collaborative ensemble playing with Jamie MacDonald and Afro-Cuban hand drumming with Julian Gerstin. She has performed on keyboards throughout New England with Sabine Rhyne and the R&B band Hard To Please.  On jazz piano she has joined such well respected musicians as Tyler Heydolph, Mike Kolodny and Laura Pierce performing at venues in Vermont and New Hampshire.

Claire Arenius has been actively performing jazz for almost thirty years. Her passion for jazz led her to studies at the University of Massachusetts and eventually to New York City on a National Endowment grant to study with jazz drumming great, Charli Persip. An invitation followed for her to join trombonist Melba Liston's group with whom she performed at Carnegie Hall, Seaport and other major jazz Festivals. Since, she has performed and/or recorded throughout the United States and Europe with many jazz notables, including guitarist Attila Zoller, founder of the Vermont Jazz Center, Archie Shepp, Marion Brown, Ray Copland, Tal Farlow, Mose Allison, Richard Davis, Barney Kessel, Slide Hampton and many others. In addition to performing, she is also a composer, having released her debut CD as a leader, "When Worlds Touch You" several years ago. More of Arenius' drumming can be heard on the Playscape recordings label with various name jazz artists. As an educator, Claire serves on adjunct faculties at Amherst College & Smith College, and is an annual clinician for HCC Jazz Festival and the VJC summer workshops.

Doug Raneri has been a professional musician for thirty-six years.He has studied privately with Fred Buda, Alan Dawson, Bob Gullotti, Gary Chaffee, and Bob Moses as well as attending the New England Conservatory of Music as a jazz performance major. He has performed with Charlie Haden, Michael Brecker, Yusef Lateef, Milcho Leviev, Roberto Miranda and many others within a diversity of musical genres. Being comfortable in many styles of music affords Doug the opportunity to share his knowledge with a wide range of students and performers.

Vernon David studied cello and chamber music at the Peabody Conservatory with Mihaly Virizlay and has a Masters in Composition from the University of Massachusetts. Active as a cellist and composer in Briton and America, he was selected to participate in the June in Buffalo festival where his String Quartet was played by the Arditti Quartet. Recently he was commissioned to compose and perform a piece, Metamorphosis for 7 cellos and poetic recitation with Poet Banafshe Larijani for the Beauvais Festival in France. Mr David has returned to the New England area after living in London for eight years where he composed numerous pieces and was a free lance cellist working with the Dal Niente Ensemble as well as other classical groups. Mr David takes his cello teaching, performing and composing as equal aspects of his musical life. As well as playing and working with Classical and contemporary music, he has worked as a studio musician in Boston and is on numerous Folk and world music CDs including Bill Morrissey and Boston music prise winner Tracie Smart.

Gil Chase-Pinkney has been playing music locally for more than three decades. He studied jazz improvisation with Scott Mullett and has taken ensemble classes with Jamie MacDonald..  He currently teaches at Cheshire Music in Keene, NH and plays saxophone in the Tom Foolery Band.  Gil has also played with the Keene Jazz Ensemble,  in various bands with his son Bob Pinkney,  and groups including Tyler Heydolph, Mike Harrist, Ben Carr and Kate Parsons.  Gil switched from guitar to tenor sax 10 years ago after developing acute problems with carpal tunnel syndrome,  and stresses a relaxed technique so students learn to minimize the physical stress of playing saxophone.

Zach Pearson is a guitarist currently living in Brattleboro, Vermont.  A native of Boston, Zach came to Vermont to study music at Marlboro College, and is now pursuing music and music education professionally.  He is fluent in many different musical styles, from classical to jazz, bluegrass to R&B, and has studied with a broad range of teachers from locals Draa Hobbs and Keith Murphy to French guitarists Adrien Moignard and Mathieu Chatelain.  Zach has worked in numerous jazz ensembles, and currently plays contra dances as a member of Wendy and the Lost Boys, and in the chamber group Ensemble San Genevieve.

Ben Carr - Drum Fundamentals