Robin Bell-Stevens,
President and CEO
Jazzmobile, Inc.

Robin Bell-Stevens, a talented administrator, fundraiser, marketing executive, and producer is the President & CEO of Jazzmobile, Inc., the oldest not-for-profit arts organization created, solely; to promote America's Classical music, Jazz – through free education and performance programs. The organization was founded in 1964 by Dr. Billy Taylor and (the late) Daphne Arnstein. Since the beginning, Jazzmobile has earned a reputation for presenting quality free arts education programs in New York City schools and free summer mobile jazz concerts throughout New York City and the Metropolitan area. Over the years, these performance programs have been brought to cities throughout the United States and in Europe. Jazzmobile is also a founding member of the Harlem Strategic Cultural Collaborative (HSCC).

Prior to joining Jazzmobile, Ms. Bell-Stevens served as Director of Marketing and Creative Services, Jazz at Lincoln Center— the largest not-for-profit arts organization committed to promoting appreciation and understanding of jazz. She also served, for 20 years, as the Executive Producer of the "An Afternoon of Jazz" festival, and is a former Director of Public Relations and Special Events for the Jackie Robinson Foundation. In addition to establishing the Festival as the premier out-doors one day jazz festival; she created and produced "Jazz '85 in Dakar" (Senegal), bringing hundreds of tourists into this historic city in West Africa. She also was the founder and chief executive of an events marketing firm.

Bell-Stevens currently serves on the Board of: The Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation, Jazz Studies Department at Columbia University, The Women’s Committee of the Central Park Conservancy (Co-Chair, Upper Park Partners Committee), The Carter Burden Center (Co-Chair Marketing Committee), and she is a former president of The New York Coalition of 100 Black Women—the flagship chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women.

A distinguished professional, she has earned a reputation for her achievements in the arts, business administration and community service and is the recipient of honors from: the New York Coalition of 100 Black Women, the Anheuser-Busch Companies -- Pioneer in Black History Award, The Network Journal -- named one of the 25 Most Influential Black Women in Business, WNBC-TV -- featured in a month long tribute to women making a difference, and the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce – Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Service Award.

She was awarded a master's in education (with a concentration in management) from Cambridge College.

Loren Schoenberg,
President and CEO
The National Jazz Museum of Harlem

"Some people say to me, 'You should have been born fifty years earlier'," conductor/saxophonist/scholar Loren Schoenberg told John Robert Brown in an interview found on The Jazz Museum in Harlem's website. "Of course I would have grown up to the great music of Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw. And I'd have probably spent my life interviewing the widow of Scott Joplin!" A historian by nature, Loren Schoenberg became a fixture in the jazz world with his encyclopedic knowledge about the genre and passion for preserving its past while making it eminently contemporary. Today, in addition to his work performing, conducting, writing, and teaching, Schoenberg has been named Executive Director of The Jazz Museum in Harlem.

Recently, Nat Hentoff wrote in JazzTimes: "Loren Schoenberg is a first-class musician, arranger, leader, and a critic with a rare comprehensive perception in the tradition of the late Martin Williams." The Encyclopedia of Popular Music says: "It is Schoenberg's chosen role as dedicated archivist, educator and energetic advocate for jazz that is his greatest contribution to the music that he loves." Today, Schoenberg's Big Band continues to appear occasionally, though merely as "a labor of love," according to Schoenberg. In addition to his duties as Executive Director of the Jazz Museum, Schoenberg is on the faculty of Julliard's Institute for Jazz Studies, and Jazz at Lincoln Center's Jazz 101 series. He has taught at the New School, the Manhattan School of Music, William Paterson University, SUNY/Purchase, the Essentially Ellington Band Director's Academy in Snowmass, Colorado, The Julliard Evening School, and Long Island University. In addition, he has given lectures at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the New York Philharmonic. Schoenberg is the Program Director of the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Jazz Colony summer program.

To read a complete bio, visit Loren Schoenberg's website.

David Schroeder,
Director
NYU Institute for Jazz & Contemporary Studies

David Schroeder, B.M.E. University of Northern Iowa, M.M. New England Conservatory, D.A., New York University. As the Director of Jazz Studies, Dr. Schroeder is continually developing an interactive environment between students, artist/faculty and the jazz community thriving in and around New York City. Schroeder's vision for jazz education combines theory and practice, taking advantage of NYU's proximity and interaction with legendary jazz clubs, recording studios and record labels. Aside from his duties teaching jazz history, jazz theory and artistic director for the NYU Jazz Masterclass Series, Schroeder has developed opportunities for jazz performers to interact with music industry internships. Current internships are available at Verve Music Group, Blue Note Records, EMI, Virgin Records, Half Note Records, Knitting Factory Records, Saturday Night Live and Jazz at Lincoln Center. Dr. Schroeder's educational publications include: Philosophy of Music Education Review, Spring 2002. "Four Approaches to Jazz Improvisation Instruction." Journal of the International Society of Bassists, Summer 2000. "The Two Worlds of Mike Richmond." Jazz Educators J ournal, Jan. 1999. "Jazz Education Toward the Millennium," an interview with Kenny Werner. Jazz Educators Journal, Dec. 1994. "The Source of Knowledge," An Interview With Helen Keane. Verve Records, essays on jazz history for the website link "Jazz Ed" for the Verve website at: Verve Music Group.

Todd Barkan,
Programming Director
Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola

For over 40 years, Todd Barkan has distinguished himself as one of the world's outstanding jazz concert and record producers. From 1972-1983, Barkan gained his first international recognition as the owner and artistic director of the legendary San Francisco jazz club, Keystone Korner, which was the site of countless historic recordings and called the "best jazz club in the world" by jazz giants such as Dexter Gordon and Stan Getz and "the Birdland of the Seventies" by Mary Lou Williams. Since the Keystone era, Todd has programmed jazz festivals, concert series and jazz clubs throughout the U.S., Japan and Europe.

Since 1975, Barkan has very steadily produced more than 800 worldclass, award-winning recordings for American, Japanese and European record companies by artists such as Art Blakey, Bill Evans, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Jimmy Smith, McCoy Tyner, Grover Washington, Jr., Gloria Lynne, Hank Jones, Roy Haynes, Joe Lovano, Phil Woods, Bill Charlap, Freddy Cole, Chico O'Farrill, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Kenny Barron, Jeff Watts, Red Garland, Lou Donaldson, Cedar Walton, Eddie Harris, Tommy Flanagan, Jerry Gonzalez & The Fort Apache Band, Ravi Coltrane, Bud Shank, Jimmy Scott, Kenny Kirkland, Bobby Hutcherson, Dexter Gordon, Tete Montoliu, Cyrus Chestnut, Benny Golson, Eric Alexander, Mose Allison, Renee Rosnes, Joe Locke, Eddie Henderson, John Hicks, Paul Bley, Mongo Santamaria, Barry Harris, Manny Oquendo y Libre, Lewis Nash, Shelly Manne and Steve Kuhn.

For his role as producer, Barkan has received two dozen GRAMMY® nominations in the U.S. and won several GRAMMY® awards, the last of which was for his work on Bebo de Cuba by Bebo Valdes. Recordings produced by Barkan have also received over 35 "Gold Disc Awards" for artistic excellence from the Japanese Swing Journal.

From 1985-1990, Barkan also worked as the the Company Manager of the Boys Choir of Harlem, building the first worldwide touring schedule for the group and helping to develop important artistic collaborations between the Choir and jazz and classical artists such as Kenny Burrell and Kathleen Battle. Barkan produced a Chico O'Farrill Latin jazz soundtrack for the 1999 remake of "The Thomas Crown Affair" with Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo and successfully worked as President/Creative Director for 32 Records in 2000 before joining Jazz at Lincoln Center as Artistic Administrator in January 2001. Barkan has served as Programming Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola since the club opened in October 2004.