Jared Decker, Jersey City, New Jersey, United States

Jared Decker is a drummer, composer/arranger, and educator from New Jersey. Jared has performed and recorded in a wide range of styles, with artists like Victor Goines, Warren Wolf, Gemma Laurence, and Joy & The Wildfire. He is also a member of the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop. In addition to composing and arranging, Jared has produced several recording projects, including co-producing Sean Decker's new album More Soon, and for the Constellation Big Band. Also regularly playing for musical theater, Jared's recent pit orchestra performances include Zoe Sarnak's Split, the Old Globe's production of Hair, and the New Off-Broadway Cast Recording of Baby.

Joey Kendrick, Brooklyn, New York, United States

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Joey Kendrick is a Brooklyn-based composer. His big band compositions have been performed and recorded by ensembles across the country, including in his native Kansas City. Joey has released numerous recordings with big bands and other ensembles. His debut solo EP, Dry January, was released in 2023.

Xinqian Li, Los Angeles, California, United States

Xinqian Li, a composer and jazz guitarist, a lifetime member of Pi Kappa Lambda of the American music honor society. Resides in Los Angeles and she is currently pursuing a Doctor Degree in studio jazz guitar at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music. Her musical style is heavily influenced by traditional jazz, and she consistently strives to develop her own distinctive sound. She composes a diverse range of traditional and contemporary jazz pieces for large ensembles. Prior to her involvement in jazz guitar, she dedicated many years to studying fingerstyle guitar and has received numerous awards in various competitions. In 2018, she was invited to perform at the Big Apple Music Festival at Queens College in New York. In 2019, she performed with the Jazz Big Band in Zhuhai, China, sharing the stage with numerous musicians from China's jazz community. In 2021, she was invited to form a swing septet with professors from China's Sichuan Conservatory of Music, which regularly performs at the Chengdu Riverside Jazz Club and Oak Nose Jazz Club. She also participated in the China Swing Music Festival that same year. Concurrently, she released four singles on NetEase Cloud Music, formed her own trio, and began touring southwest China. From 2021 to 2023, she was awarded the USC Thornton Music Scholarship for two consecutive years. In 2023, she received a full scholarship to the Berklee College of Music Summer Program and performed in a big band in Boston. That same year, she won gold medals at the Universal Stars and Global International Music Competitions and was invited to play on “Hit The Wall’’ musicial directed by Gregg T. Daniel and Chevaughan Dyer. In 2024, she joined the jazz big band led by Dr. David Moyer and the rock blues trio led by German drummer Vera Carter, and also led her own composition's jazz quintet. She acquired her knowledge from Bruce Forman, Tim Kobza, Richard Smith, Josh Nelson, and Bob Minzter.

Zhengtao Pan, Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Zhengtao Pan is a young musician from Shanghai, China. He’s studying Jazz Composition and Composition at Berklee College of Music. He actively works in media scoring, arranges jazz tunes for studio orchestras and Big Bands, and writes concert music. He collaborated with Andrew Gould, Benny Benack III, Itai Kriss, Walter Smith III in his upcoming debut Jazz Big Band album “Scenery In My Story”, to name a few. Some of the orchestras that he worked with include European Recording Orchestra (soundtrack recording), Shanghai Symphonic Orchestra (commissioned by the orchestra as part of the International Digital Music Festival), Budapest Scoring Orchestra (soundtrack recording for “Lost Soul Aside”) etc. He is also an online streamer on the Chinese platform called “Bilibili”, where he releases music under the account for his Vocaloid and virtual singer projects. His music accumulated more than 1 million views, widely praised by listeners.

Artur Verbin, Kyiv, Ukraine

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Artur, known in the media as my.lost.andromeda, is a versatile musician with a passion for exploring and combining diverse musical styles. Having graduated from music school, he mastered the piano and later taught himself to play the ukulele, guitar, drums, bass, and the bandura.

As a composer, he has created a Vaporwave album that seamlessly blends various genres, showcasing his love for all forms of music and the joy he finds in merging them. His deep appreciation for jazz serves as a constant source of inspiration, shaping his creative approach.

Through his work, he combines technical skill and creative exploration, crafting compositions that reflect his multifaceted personality and openness to new musical horizons.