Pathways on the Jazz Road: An Artistic Career Workshop

Our award winner keynote speaker will present “Music and You” and answer questions from our audience.

With a career spanning several decades, Wooten has captivated audiences worldwide with his exceptional musicality and innovative playing style. As a five-time Grammy winner and an acclaimed solo artist, he has worked with musical icons such as Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Stanley Clarke, and Marcus Miller

Join performer, educator, and coach Laura Sinclair as we dive into the world of creating a dream teaching studio built around the life of a performer. During this session, we will explore aspects of studio design that embrace the needs of an artist’s lifestyle. Laura will share insights and tips on how to create a functional and inspiring teaching studio that will enhance your students’ learning experience without burning you out.

An active performer in the South Florida music scene, Laura Sinclair can be seen in Atlantic Classical Orchestra, Miami City Ballet, Boca Symphonia, Symphony of the Americas, and the Kravis Pops Orchestra. A lover of Broadway old and new, she has appeared on both violin and viola around the country on the national tour of “Hamilton” and on the South Florida stop of the national tour of “Ain’t Too Proud”, “The Book of Mormon”, “Hello Dolly!”, “Anastasia” and “Aladdin”.

Work of Art: Business Skills for Artists is a professional development curriculum designed to teach business skills to artists in all disciplines — visual, performing and literary arts. Define your product, discover your target audience, make decisions about how you sell your work, and identify a budget and strategy for your artistic business.

Work of Art will be led by Naomi RaMona Schliesman, a multidisciplinary artist with an MFA in Studio Arts. Schliesman has received multiple Fellowships, grants and has attended residency programs nationally and internationally. Her practice consists of studio art, collaborations with artists, organizations and communities in creative placemaking nationwide as a freelance artist, and is an active Arts Advocate in her rural community.

Spanning a performance, Masterclass, and Q&A, Plexusplay will demo portions of his music festival shows fusing immersive visuals and live vibraphone. The class will provide a digital starter kit and walkthrough of tools used in his production process as a means for creatives to develop their own multimedia workflows. Questions are strongly encouraged.

Plexusplay combines stunning 3D animated motion graphics and jazz synth xylophone to create a live dance music experience unlike any other. Plexusplay’s futuristic sound draws on lush jazz harmonies, infectious Brazilian and house grooves , hard hitting color bass, infused with melodic jazz improvisation to produce a show that’s as dazzling as it is impactful. From emotional interludes, to playful choreography, to heavy headbangers and stunning solos, Plexusplay’s show offers something we can all immerse ourselves in.

Drew Tucker is a musician, educator, and social entrepreneur—a unique combination of talents that place him at the intersection of the arts and activism. Artistically, he’s at the forefront of the movement to reinvent the vibraphone—a dynamic instrument that he melds with soul, funk, jazz and hip-hop influences. He has shared the stage with Shaun Martin, Stefon Harris, Mani Hoffman, Jeff Coffin, Tom Hurst, Nebojsa Zivkovic, Norah Jones, Mark Ford to name a few. He has toured extensively solo & with his band ‘The New Standard and his jazz influenced twists on modern-day standards from Michael Jackson, to Prince and The Police, have earned him key endorsements from Innovative Percussion, Musser, Beetle Percussion, Lot Riot and Sabian Cymbals—and the esteemed title of “Cultural Ambassador” by the U.S. Department of State and the applause of sold-out audiences worldwide.

Minneapolis native Cory Wong will join virtually to have a conversation about life touring as a professional musician.

Recognized for his high-speed improvisational skills, fun-loving performance spirit, and a flexible right wrist, guitarist Cory Wong had a multifaceted music career in his base of Minneapolis, Minnesota, before becoming better known for regular guest spots as rhythm guitarist for Ann Arbor R&B/funk outfit Vulfpeck in the mid-2010s. Often incorporating intricate, percussive picking into his rhythm playing, his style merges acoustic and electric techniques gleaned from years invested in both. Wong’s second solo LP, a set of lighthearted jazz-funk titled The Optimist, debuted in the Top 20 of the Billboard Jazz Albums chart upon its release in 2018. He picked up a Grammy nomination for his 2020 collaboration with Jon Batiste, Meditations, and returned in 2021 with another collaboration, Golden Hour, with saxophonist Dave Koz. He then joined forces with a bevy of guest artists — including Chromeo, Victor Wooten, and Béla Fleck — on the ’80s funk- and pop-inspired Power Station