JazzArts Academy programs are led by many of the Charlotte region’s most experienced music educators. These professional musicians and teaching artists offer extensive and diverse experience in the jazz education field and provide students of all ages enriched learning opportunities.

In addition to the faculty below, we consistently enhance our programs with special guests from around the region and around the country.

Dawn Anthony, vocalist

Dawn is a North Carolina-based multimedia artist that spans music, writing, and visual art and placemaking. She enjoys collaborations that build bridges across cultures, languages, and generations. Dawn majored in music and is a graduate of Queens
University of Charlotte. Dawn has shared musical tributes and participated in educational programming for Jazz Arts Charlotte over the years. She has been a performer, vocal coach and teaching artist for over twenty years in the Charlotte area
with DNAMuzic– which delves into the historical origins of the musical forms she presents to audiences beyond the classroom.

Dawn made her Carnegie Hall soloist debut on June 25th, 2022, premiering Kevin Gray and Rick Bean’s Jazz Mass. Her musical, The Gift Way Up in the Closet, premiered at the Fullwood Theater in Matthews, North Carolina in 2019, based on her children’s book of the same name and was honored with co-collaborator, S. Kristi Douglas to receive Best Short Play for Atlanta’s Black Theater festival in 2020. She recently returned to the Atlanta Black Theater Festival in the fall of 2022 as music and tech director for S. Kristi
Douglas’ musical, Daughter of the King. A staged reading of this work was revised once again in May of 2023 in Charlotte. She recently premiered a tribute to the music of Anita Baker and Oleta Adams to a sold-out crowd at the Fullwood Theater in Matthews in January of 2023. She has presented various forms of art for Cabarrus County’s Liminal Art series and Family Day, and appeared with the Union Symphony Orchestra May of 2023. She has also partnered as vocal coach for Epoch Tribe’s I am Queen Charlotte productions and storytelling coach for the premiere Epoch Tribe’s The Men Inside production in February of 2023. She is currently directing Epoch Tribe’s recent production, This Land is My Land: Here from Afar which highlights the stories of Charlotteans with immigrant or refugee backgrounds. Dawn’s own organization, DNAMuzic, has shared music arts programming in the Charlotte area since 2001

Patrick Brown, saxophone

Dr. Patrick Brown is the Education Director for JazzArts Charlotte. His past teaching positions include Davidson College, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Middle Georgia State University, Wingate University, Lenoir-Rhyne University, and Mitchell Community College. Patrick has presented clinics and research at the Jazz Education Network International Conference, College Music Society Southern and Mid-Atlantic Regional Conferences, North Carolina Music Educators Association Conference, Nebraska Music Educators Association Conference, North American Saxophone Alliance Regional and National Conferences, and the Nebraska State Bandmasters Association Convention.

Some of his performance highlights include sharing the stage with Aretha Franklin, Glenn Miller Orchestra, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Nelson Riddle Orchestra, North Carolina Symphony, Omaha Symphony, Western Piedmont Symphony, and Lincoln Symphony Orchestra. Patrick is a Conn-Selmer Artist who plays Selmer Paris saxophones exclusively and is also a D’Addario Woodwinds Performing Artist.

Lovell Bradford, piano

Adjunct professor of piano at Davidson College, where he also studied Music and Art, is well known and played on a number of top recordings in both the Gospel and Jazz traditions. Bradford is a native of Gary Indiana. His first musical influences were in church where his first teacher, his grandmother, played every Sunday. His gifts grew and took him to Central State University where he would broaden his musical sphere of influences. He began playing in the jazz scene of Columbus, OH before moving to Charlotte, NC. Lovell has performed with artists such as Pharez Whitted, Slide Hampton, Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Wes “Warmdaddy” Anderson, Ronnie Burrage, and many others.

Geoff Clapp, drums

Geoff Clapp is a one-of-a-kind drummer who’s feel and style are only matched by his kind and generous spirit. He plays what he describes as a mix of the “heady New York and soulful New Orleans” drum styles. Geoff is a true artistic rarity in progress. He has played and toured with some heavies, including Donald Harrison, Terence Blanchard, Ellis Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, Jason Marsalis (vibes), Peter Martin, Reuben Rogers, Peter Bernstein, Aaron Goldberg, Frank Morgan, Ron Blake (SNL), Eric Reed, Charlie Hunter, Delfeayo Marsalis and the Uptown Jazz Orchestra, LOUQUE, James Tealy, Jamil Sharif, Wess “Warm Daddy” Anderson, Matt Ray Trio, Jermey Pelt, Evan Christopher, Petr Cancura, Sam Fribush Trio, and Wycliffe Gordon.

Geoff was also active with Wynton Marsalis’ Lincoln Center educational programs in the five boroughs of New York City along with Melissa Walker’s Jazz House Kids with Christian McBride workshops in New Jersey’s inner city school system. To this day, Geoff continues to tour, educate and record his musical gifts and its ability to reach deeper into our consciousness to facilitate emotional, mental, and spiritual expansion.

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Johnny Conga, multi-percussionist

Johnny Conga has been performing for 55 years, as a world renowned “multi-percussionist-specialist”, in the Art of Afro-Cuban/Caribbean drumming and music. As a performer, he has been in 150 bands, done 17 international tours, and worked with over 100 major artists including Paquito D’Riviera, the Jackson Five, Willie Bobo, and Gloria Ganyor. As educator, Johnny is an ethnomusicologist, teaching a Latin jazz style percussion and drum curriculum for over 35 years. Johnny started playing the congas professionally at age 16 in New York, has traveled and performed all over the world, and now calls North Carolina his home for the past several years.

Johnny started playing the congas professionally at age 16 in New York, has traveled and performed all over the world, and now calls North Carolina his home for the past several years.

He joined our teaching staff in 2022 as we expanded to the new Latin Jazz Youth Ensemble.

Troy Conn, guitar

Troy Conn started playing guitar at age thirteen. Soon after, he was playing shows before he could even drive himself to them. By sixteen, he was on the scene performing in local rock clubs. At UNC Charlotte, Troy studied classical guitar and, after graduating, was invited to study at Berklee Guitar Sessions under a full scholarship. Versatile in jazz, classical, and rock, Troy has performed across the country and overseas. He is a native to Charlotte, NC, where he regularly plays with his own bands – Ocie Davis Trio, Ron Brendle Quartet, Al Sergel IVtet, and Bunky Moon- as well as with local musicians and with artists on tour. Troy often utilizes his diverse background in styles to perform with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, and numerous pit orchestras. When he ‘s not playing, he’s often teaching and mentoring younger musicians, from elementary school through the university level. His latest CD, “Old and New,” was released in Spring 2018.

Sean Higgins, piano

Pianist and composer, Sean Higgins is an international touring and recording artist acting as a musical ambassador to audiences worldwide. While classically trained, his own group offers a modern take on the jazz trio configuration. Higgins enjoys exploring many musical genres and has played keyboards in many commercial settings such as R&B, pop, and fusion.

Higgins completed a Bachelors in Jazz Performance at UNC-Wilmington, and a Masters at Northern Illinois University, where he received a full scholarship to lead and compose for the NIU Liberace Sextet.

Higgins has opened for Dave Holland, Fourplay, Joe Lovano, and Stefon Harris & Blackout. Some performances include successful 8-week US Jazz Ambassador tours of the Middle East and Russia with Alvin Atkinson & the Sound Merchants and a Japan tour with Akio Sasajima. He has played in many NYC clubs such as The Jazz Standard, Smoke, Dizzy’s-Jazz at Lincoln Center, and Lenox Lounge. Sean was a member of the Winard Harper Sextet for 2 years and has shared the stage with Antonio Hart, Charles McPherson, Bobby Watson, John Clayton, Russell Malone, and many others. During his 10 years based in Shanghai, he toured China extensively as well as internationally with Karen Mok, Shunza, and Ronghao Li.

Sean has released three albums: The New Thought in 2005, Three Years’ Stories in 2008, and his latest Shanghai Decade in 2018.

Carl Ratliff, saxophone

A celebrated Charlotte-Mecklenburg middle school music teacher, Carl earned the Master of Arts in Teaching in Music Education from Winthrop University. Currently, he is the Director of Bands at South Charlotte Middle School. His students have been selected by audition as members of the All-State, All-District, and All-County Bands as well as All-State Jazz and All- Region Jazz Bands and Charlotte Junior Youth Symphony Orchestra. During last school year, Carl was selected Teacher of the Year (second time) at South Charlotte Middle School.

Musically, Carl continues to perform with his jazz quartet, Common Ground, and Queen’s Collective. He performs with several groups throughout the Carolinas.

iliana Rose, Piano

Iliana Rose is a fantastic musician. Born in Miami and raised by Cuban parents and grandparents she is steeped in Cuban rhythms and culture. Being a genuine prodigy she started playing music at the age of four. After years of classical and jazz training, she graduated from the prestigious University of Miami as well as the National Piano Guild with performance degrees. She moved to Los Angeles and formed her band, “The iliana Rose Cuban Jazz Band” and worked with some of the finest musicians in the industry including Calixto Oviedo, Alain Perez, Pedro Calvo, Herman Olivera, Jimmy Branly, Richie Gajate Garcia, Munyungo Jackson, Walfredo Reyes Jr, Rene Camacho, Oskar Cartaya, Justo Almario, Alberto Salas and many more.

Iliana was the musical director for several projects spanning multiple genres including: The Arsenio Rodriguez Project- a 12 piece band playing traditional Cuban music; Las Chikas- LA’s hottest all female salsa orchestra; Opera singers Maximo Marcuso and Veronica Bell and Cuban theatrical singers Candi Sosa and Cristina Rebull. For four years Iliana was the pianist and musical director on the national T.V. show Noches Con Platanito.

Iliana is an international touring and recording artist. She composes music for films and arranges songs for bands of all sizes and genres prompting her to create her publishing company “In Step Original Music.” She also travels the country as a guest clinician and student leadership specialist. Now residing on the east coast, iliana is rocking new audiences!

Al Sergel, Drums

Drummer and composer Alfred Sergel IV, has shared the stage with Grammy award winning artists and recorded on numerous Billboard charting albums. Sergel has 30 years of experience as a professional musician and educator with studies at Florida State University and Berklee College of Music in the area of percussion, drum set, and jazz studies. Sergel performs and tours regularly with Jason Upton, John Mark McMillian, Chad Lawson, and Shana Tucker. Currently Sergel is adjunct faculty at The Kings University in Dallas, TX, Davidson College in Davidson, NC and Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, NC.

Sergel is a Heartbeat Cymbal Artist and member of the Percussive Arts Society.

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JAZZ ROOM Special Edition: JOSHUA REDMAN GROUP featuring Gabrielle Cavassa, “Where Are We” Tour