Amina Scott is an exceptionally talented bassist and composer. Growing up in a musically inclined family, with both her parents being music enthusiasts, she was exposed to a diverse range of musical genres, which greatly influenced her artistic development. Her interest in music peaked at an early age when her grandmother began giving her piano lessons. From then on, her love and passion for music have yet to cease. She started playing electric bass at the age of twelve and soon began playing gigs with local bands in Oakland. She switched her focus towards the upright bass after attending college at Loyola University New Orleans. In 2019, she received her Master’s degree from Florida State University under the tutelage of Rodney Jordan. She was also part of the 2017 Ravinia Jazz Program cohort under the direction of Rufus Reid, Billy Childs, and Nathan Davis. 

Currently based in New Orleans, LA, Amina Scott has been a bassist for many musicians on the New Orleans music scene, as well as abroad. She has performed with artists such as Jazzmeia Horn, Chief Xian Atunde Adjuah, Don Vappie, David Murray, Johnny Vidacovich, Joanne Bracken, Nicholas Payton, Herlin Riley, and Germaine Bazzle. She currently tours with  a project, spearheaded by Dee Dee Bridgewater, called WE EXIST! as well as with the DDB Big Band where she serves as an arranger and as the bassists. Amina continues to forge her own path as a trailblazing artist, Ranging from many musical influences, she is able to express her journey into Black womanhood and capture the trials and tribulations of her career thus far. While staying true to the musical lineage as well as herself, Amina is able to captivate audiences around the world with her music and her story. Her debut album Where The Wild Seed Grows is out now on all platforms.

Currently, Amina Scott serves on the faculty at Loyola University New Orleans and the University of New Orleans. She has also been a faculty member for the Lafayette Summer Music Workshop since 2022.

GRAMMY award-winning pianist and composer Alex Brown is at the forefront of a new generation of artists.  The New York Times says he plays “with a crystalline touch and a worldly approach.”  In 2021, Brown released his second album as a leader, The Dark Fire Sessions.  He has performed on and contributed music to GRAMMY award-winning and nominated albums with artists that include Imani Winds, Harlem Quartet, Paquito D’Rivera, Dafnis Prieto, and Brian Lynch.  A member of D’Rivera’s regular group since 2007, Brown has also collaborated with artists in a wide array of genres that include Valerie Coleman, Sean Jones, Cho-Liang Lin, Yo-Yo Ma, Armando Manzanero, Christian McBride, the New York Voices, David Sanchez, David Shifrin, Chris Thile (on the former American variety show Live from Here), Warren Wolf, and Miguel Zenon.  In 2016, he performed Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue as a soloist with the Orquesta Sinfonica de Mineria led by conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto in Mexico City.  Brown has performed in many of the world’s greatest venues and festivals including the Kennedy Center, Newport Jazz Festival, and the Hollywood Bowl.  

As a composer and arranger, Brown seamlessly combines his classical training with his background as a jazz musician in a way that defies categorization.  In 2023, he wrote the string quartet arrangements for Kendrick Scott’s composition Unearthed featuring the Harlem Quartet.  From 2022-2023, Brown collaborated with SF-based rapper Andre Nickatina in a project reimagining Nickatina’s music for orchestra.  He has written orchestral and big band commissions for artists including Bobby Broom and the Chicago Jazz Orchestra, Chad Lefkowitz-Brown, and Paquito D’Rivera.  Brown has produced and composed music for film, television, and commercial campaigns for Orbitz, Zimmermann, Omega, and Vogue.  He earned his Bachelor of Music degree in jazz performance at the New England Conservatory and his Master of Music degree in studio jazz composition at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music.  Brown currently serves on the faculty at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.  He has also served as a visiting professor at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music.  Brown is a YAMAHA artist.

The founder of Lyrica Baroque, Jaren Atherholt is the Assistant Professor of Oboe at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and principal oboist of the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra. She previously served as principal oboist of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra for eleven seasons. A native of Alaska, Jaren has performed to stellar reviews as a featured concerto soloist and has been guest principal oboist with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Nashville Symphony and International Chamber Orchestra of Puerto Rico, as well as guest associate principal oboist with the Pittsburgh and Atlanta Symphonies. Jaren spent four summers at the Marlboro Music Festival and currently performs each summer with the Grand Teton Music Festival. She has served on the faculty of John Mack Oboe Camp, Interlochen Arts Camp, the Wintergreen Music Academy, and the Vianden International Music School. Jaren plays Loree oboes. 

Oscar Rossignoli, a native of Honduras, is an in-demand pianist and composer who has been based in New Orleans since 2015, when he arrived to study at the University of New Orleans. Rossignoli folds many traditions into his music, from his classical music formation to his passion for Latin and North American jazz. He has also established his reputation in various settings and bands, including the EXTENDED trio with Matt Booth and Brad Webb, and by leading his own quartet. He collaborates on a wide range of projects with artists such as John Boutté, Jason Marsalis, Joe Dyson, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and Alexey Marti, among many others.

Hailing from the city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Steve has been swaying stages, clubs, bars, Museums, Houses-of-worship, and studios the world over for almost 2 decades now. He’s got the kind of skill that can only be gained from both a truly curious mind and from working with great artists from all walks of life! From shows and tours with R&B/Soul/Gospel grammy-winner Pj Morton, holding down a residency in Las Vegas playing trumpet for the chart-topping long-running band Maroon 5, doing festivals with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, and tours through Europe with Swiss pianist and composer  Florian Favre, to studio sessions with the Black Keys, jamming in DC with Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters, playing in big bands with Ellis, Jason, Branford, and Delfeayo Marsalis, and doing a tribute to David Bowie with Arcade Fire! Courage and care are his motivation for Music and he’s got more than enough of both to give you a sonic fantasy.

Gerald T. Watkins, Jr. is a drummer/percussionist originally from Norfolk, VA currently based in New Orleans, LA. He received his Bachelor of Science in Music from Norfolk State University and his Masters of Music from Florida State University. He has performed nationally and internationally with a plethora of musicians including members of Marsalis family (Ellis, Delfeayo, and Jason), the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Eric Benét, Ledisi and many others. In addition to performing, Gerald is a faculty member at Tulane University and loves to teach and mentor New Orleans’ young, creative minds.