2025 Guest Clinicians

Scotty Barnhart

Featured Trumpet Soloist with the Count Basie Jazz Orchestra
1993-Present
Director of the Count Basie Jazz Orchestra
2013-Present

Scotty Barnhart is an internationally acclaimed jazz trumpeter, composer, arranger, educator, and author. The current Director of the Count Basie Orchestra, he has been a featured trumpet soloist with the orchestra since 1993. Winner of multiple GRAMMY awards, Barnhart appears on multiple recordings with pianist Marcus Roberts, as well as records with artists as diverse as Tony Bennett, Diana Krall, Ray Charles, and Tito Puente. Barnhart is acknowledged as an authority on the history of jazz trumpet, having published the groundbreaking The World of Jazz Trumpet - A Comprehensive History and Practical Philosophy in 2005. Barnhart's acclaimed 2009 solo album, Say It Plain (Unity Music), reached #3 on the Billboard Jazz Charts, and he is profiled in the book Trumpet Kings, which places him with the most important jazz trumpeters in the history of the music. Barnhart is a Professor of Jazz Trumpet at Florida State University, where he has taught since 2003.

Somaluna

Somaluna is a Chicago-based vocal collective whose focus as an ensemble is championing the voices of female composers and arrangers around the world. The four members of Somaluna - Kat Sherman (soprano 1), Callandra Youngleson(soprano 2), Lizzi Trumbore (alto 1), and Alyssa Allgood (alto 2) - are all acclaimed solo singers and educators with international performing, recording, and teaching credits.

Additional Clinicians

James Albright is a stylistically versatile upright and electric bassist in Kansas City. He is the bassist for the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra and the Applied Bass instructor at Kansas City Kansas Community College.

Alyssa Allgood is the Alto 2 in Somaluna. She was named a “Rising Star Female Vocalist” in the 2024 DownBeat Magazine Critics Poll and “Best individual Jazz Musician” in the 2024 Chicago Reader Poll. Alyssa also teaches in the jazz departments at the University of Chicago and Loyola University. For more, visit www.alyssaallgood.com.

Doug Auwarter is a first-call drummer in Kansas City, and the author of the acclaimed books Essential Latin Styles for Drumset and Essential Rock for the Drumset. For more, visit www.dougauwarter.com.

Sam Copeland is one of the most in-demand jazz and classical bassists in the Kansas City area. A member of the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra’s Riff Generation, he also is director of string orchestras at multiple schools in the Blue Valley School District. For more, visit www.samcopelandmusic.com.

Ray DeMarchi is a renowned percussion instructor and stylistically flexible performer in the Kansas City area, and is the Applied Drum Set and Applied Percussion instructor at Kansas City Kansas Community College.

Eboni Fondren is a powerhouse singer, actress, and bandleader, A protégé of legendary Kansas City B-3 organist Everette DeVan, she has performed worldwide to great acclaim. For more, visit www.ebonifondrenmusic.com.

Pete Fucinaro is a talented young saxophonist and composer who has been a Betty Carter Jazz Ahead artist and a Semifinalist in the North American Saxophone Alliance jazz competition. For more, visit www.petefucinaro.com.

Aaron Linscheid is a respected trumpeter and educator in the Kansas City area. He plays in the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra’s Riff Generation, and he is the Applied Trumpet instructor at Kansas City Kansas Community College.

Kat Sherman is a Chicago-based singer, arranger, composer, and educator. She sings Soprano 1 in Somaluna and teaches in the Jazz Studies department at DePaul University. For more, visit www.katsherman.com.

Lizzi Trumbore is the Soprano 2 in Somaluna and an acclaimed jazz singer, and composer whose works have been performed by collegiate and professional groups across the country. For more, visit www.lizzitrumbore.org.

Charles Williams is one of the most respected jazz musicians in Kansas City. He is the pianist in the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra and has performed and taught for over 50 years. For more, visit www.charleswilliamspiano.com.

Callandra Youngleson is the Soprano 2 in Somaluna. A South African-born jazz vocalist, composer, and educator, she teaches jazz voice at the Chicago Academy for the Arts. For more, visit www.callandrayoungleson.com.

KANSAS CITY KANSAS COMMUNITY COLLEGE FULL-TIME MUSIC FACULTY

Dr. Justin Binek is an internationally acclaimed singer, pianist, composer/arranger, clinician, and educator. He is a co-author of Routledge’s Experiencing Jazz textbook and is Associate Professor of Music Theory and Commercial Music at KCKCC and the Coordinator of the Kansas City Jazz Summit. For more, visit www.justinbinekjazz.com.

Brett Jackson is Director of Instrumental Music at KCKCC. He is a first-call saxophonist and woodwind doubler in Kansas City’s thriving jazz and musical theatre scenes, and boasts a diverse range of performing and recording credits across a wide range of musical genres. For more, visit www.brettjacksonmusic.com. John Stafford II is KCKCC’s acclaimed Director of Choral Music. Ensembles under his direction have performed at the National ACDA Convention, the JEN Conference, and the NAfME National Conference. He is currently the National Vocal Jazz Repertoire & Resources Chair for the American Choral Directors Association.