Artistic Director

Trumpeter Riley Mulherkar is a founding member of The Westerlies, and in 2024 released his debut album Riley, hailed as “one of the best debut records to come out in a long, long time” (DownBeat). The trumpeter has had audiences on their feet since he was in middle school, as a prodigious and disciplined player soaking up everything he could from Seattle's unexpectedly rich and rooted jazz community. Playing under legendary band directors Robert Knatt and Clarence Acox prepared him for Juilliard, where he quickly found a musical home with Jazz at Lincoln Center and its leader, Wynton Marsalis. Since, he has played with everyone from Kenny Barron and Dee Dee Bridgewater to Anna Deavere Smith and Alan Cumming, and in 2020 received Lincoln Center’s prestigious Emerging Artist Award for his work as “an original bandleader, composer, arranger, educator, community activist and advocate for jazz and the arts.” 

Leading countless jazz ensembles as "the sort of musician who sees improvised music as a perfect delivery system for joy," as writer Nate Chinen put it, Mulherkar also stretched outside the genre alongside The Westerlies, a new music brass quartet that creates the rarest of hybrids: music that is both “folk-like and composerly, lovely and intellectually rigorous” (NPR Music), with performances from Carnegie Hall to Coachella.

Riley, his opening recorded salvo as a soloist, is the sonically modern setting for Mulherkar’s vulnerable, melodious interpretation of this rich tradition with sound design shaped by producers Rafiq Bhatia and Chris Pattishall. Enveloping Mulherkar within a series of textured, intricately-crafted spaces, Bhatia and Pattishall train a cinematographer’s lens on the continuum of great old songs, as well as new Mulherkar pieces which fit right in. Described as “über hip, modern yet timeless” (DownBeat), it’s a radically bold audio framework for the emotional pronouncements of Riley’s horn.

Riley is an Edwards Artist and performs on Edwards trumpets.

www.rileymulherkar.com

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American trumpeter Anthony Hervey, recently named by Grammy.com as one of the "10 Emerging Artists to Know in 2023," has captivated audiences worldwide both as a sought-after sideman and a visionary bandleader. At the age of 18 he was admitted to the Juilliard School, graduating with his B.M. in 2019 and his M.M. in 2020. Frequently called upon to substitute for trumpet legend Wynton Marsalis, who has mentored him and who describes Hervey as "a beautiful trumpet player of the first magnitude," Hervey has also toured, performed, and recorded with luminaries such as Christian McBride, Jon Batiste, and Michael Bublé.

Renowned for his virtuosic trumpet playing and vocal expression, Hervey has emerged as a leading voice in jazz. As the leader of the Anthony Hervey Quintet, he is celebrated for his original compositions that blend the complexities of jazz with a wide range of influences, from ragtime to R&B. His debut album, “Words From My Horn,” showcases his talents as both trumpeter and composer, offering a rich fusion of soulful and cerebral pieces that uplift and inspire with their soulful warmth and optimism, all rooted in the blues.

In addition to leading his own band and touring, Hervey is one of the most sought-after musicians on the New York jazz scene. He performs regularly with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, the Christian McBride Big Band, the Mingus Big Band, and the Future of Jazz Orchestra. His performances have graced iconic NYC venues such as Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Blue Note, and Birdland, as well as renowned international stages including Marians Jazz Room in Bern, Switzerland, the Cotton Club in Tokyo, XJAZZ Berlin, the Marciac Jazz Festival in France, and the Monterey and Newport Jazz Festivals in the United States. While deeply rooted in the jazz tradition, Hervey's artistry transcends genre boundaries, showcasing his ability to navigate and blend diverse styles. This versatility defines him not only as a jazz musician but also as a prominent figure in the contemporary music scene. His continual exploration and redefinition of musical boundaries is poised to leave a lasting impact on modern music.

www.anthonyherveymusic.com

About the Joye in Aiken Artists

Decoda is an artist-led collective seeking to create a more compassionate and connected world through music. By thoughtfully curating outstanding performances of live chamber music and facilitating creative community projects, Decoda strives to inspire the next generation of musical artists to rethink and reimagine their role in society.

Praised by the New York Times as “refreshing in the extreme” and by luminary Eric Booth as“the ninja musical artists the 21st century requires,” Decoda’s versatile musicians are equally committed to virtuosic performance and audience engagement. Its flexible instrumentation, from duos to large mixed ensembles, allows for unique, inspiring and engaging concert experiences for a vast array of audiences, from concert halls to schools, hospitals, shelters, and correctional facilities. The only affiliate ensemble of Carnegie Hall, Decoda seeks to engage, inspire, and create a more compassionate and connected world through music.

Decoda’s work is anchored by creative programming and performance of mixed ensemble chamber music repertoire. DECODA, the ensemble’s debut album, was released on the Bright Shiny Things label in spring of 2024 and features a panoply of musical perspectives – including a world premiere recording of “Revelry” by Valerie Coleman which has received a 2025 GRAMMY nomination for Best Contemporary Classical Composition.

Past engagements have included performances, creative community projects, and artist training residencies at Southbank Centre and the Barbican (London), the Guildhall School of Music & Drama (London), Royal College of Music (Stockholm) Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Germany), Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Festival (UAE), Mainly Mozart Festival (San Diego), Við Djúpið Festival (Iceland), Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Caramoor Music Festival, National Center for the Performing Arts (Mumbai), Decoda Institute (South Africa), Suntory Hall (Japan), Programa de Educación Musical Fomento Cultural Banamex & Carnegie Hall (Mexico), Curtis Institute of Music, Yale School of Music, Peabody Institute of Music, the Juilliard School, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Decoda’s creative community projects are a vital component of its artistic vision, and have been recognized by CNN, CBS News, Huffington Post, the Washington Post, and the White House, featuring Decoda’s 10-year collaboration at Lee Correctional Institution, South Carolina’s largest maximum-security prison. At home in New York City, Decoda has partnered with Mount Sinai Hospital, WQXR, the Police Athletic League, Beth Abraham Hospital, and the Administration for Children’s Services to make music with, and for, a diverse cross-section of the city. Decoda’s songwriting workshops in correctional facilities empower vulnerable and disenfranchised voices of incarcerated individuals at facilities around the country. An album featuring music by Xiao Bao He, a composer incarcerated at Sing Sing Correctional Facility in New York, is planned for the 2024-25 season.

Decoda was founded in 2012 by musicians who first collaborated as members of Ensemble Connect, a two-year fellowship program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute in partnership with the NYC Department of Education. Its work as an ensemble has grown out of this collective training, which is focussed on developing skills as exemplary performers, dedicated teachers, and passionate advocates for music in communities around the world. Learn more at: www.decodamusic.org.

Three-time GRAMMY-nominated artist Clara Lyon is an accomplished soloist, chamber musician, improviser, and curator whose work connects sonic languages and artistic disciplines to create new pathways for imagination.  Known for stylistic versatility, she is a sought-after collaborator in numerous contexts, from performances with groups like the Lydian Quartet and A Far Cry, to being a featured improvising soloist with San Francisco Symphony Musicians on their SoundBox series. 

Lyon is currently the Co-Artistic Director of Decoda, Carnegie Hall’s only Affiliate Ensemble, and is on faculty at the Greenwood Music Festival. She frequently performs and creates with duo partner Hannah Collins, and their current projects include collaborations with composers Evan Premo, Mazz Swift, Yaz Lancaster, Maria Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir, visual artist Antonia Contro, and video artist Nicholas Zoulek. A recipient of the Music Academy of the West Alumni Enterprise Award, and a prizewinner of the Irving M. Klein International Competition and the Schadt International Competition, Lyon has performed in solo and chamber music performances around the world in venues such as Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, the Library of Congress, Reykjavik Arts Festival, NPR’s Tiny Desk, the American Academy in Rome, Miller Theater, the Banff Centre, and many more, and holds degrees from The Juilliard School and SUNY Stony Brook.

From 2014-2023 she was a violinist and Director of Programs for the Chicago-based Spektral Quartet, during which time they commissioned and performed over 50 new works for string quartet with composers such as Anthony Cheung, Sam Pluta, Sky Macklay, Tonia Ko, George Lewis, Augusta Read Thomas, Hans Thomalla, Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Bernard Rands, and many others, were nominated for three GRAMMY awards in three different genres, and were in residence at the University of Chicago’s Music Department. As Director of Programs, Lyon cultivated collaborative partnerships between celebrated composers, visual artists, writers, and community organizations to create thoughtful and immersive musical experiences across a variety of formats. She also spearheaded the quartet’s lauded cycle of Arnold Schoenberg’s complete string quartets.   

Lyon’s interest in interdisciplinary collaboration has forged ongoing connections and projects. Her sonic and visual installation with musician Hannah Collins and visual artist Antonia Contro was shown as part of the Only Connect exhibit at the Secrist gallery in Chicago.  She is also the only performing member of the Theorem Collective, a small company of artists dedicated to adapting the celebrated fine art book Theorem by Antonia Contro and Elizabeth Bradfield, to the stage in 2024. Thus, the Night, a short art film (approx. 19 min.) inspired by French composer Henri Dutilleux's seminal work for string quartet Ainsi la Nuit, was developed by Lyon with Antonia Contro and film production company Four/Ten Media, produced by and featured Spektral Quartet, and has been selected for the Montreal Independent Film Festival, Brussels Capital Film Festival, Rome Music Video Awards, and more. Thus, the Night will premiere in a special presentation at Aspen Film in March of 2024.

George Meyer is equally interested in "classical" music, in fiddle music, and in what they have in common; these interests inform his composing. His pieces for classical string-playing friends make use of lessons learned from the fiddle side, and vice versa.

He has been commissioned by Chamber Music Northwest, Bravo! Vail, Astral Artists and Katie Hyun, Mike Marshall and Caterina Lichtenberg, the Versoi Ensemble, Midsummer's Music, and the Tribeca New Music Festival. He has performed his own compositions at the 92nd Street Y, Stanford Live in Bing Concert Hall, the Phillips Center at University of Florida, the Newman Center at University of Denver, the Gogue Center at Auburn University, Ingram Hall at Vanderbilt University, the Peace Center in Greenville, SC, and Troy Savings Bank Music Hall in Troy, NY, among many others. Festival appearances performing his own compositions include the Aspen Music Festival, Bravo! Vail, Chamber Music Northwest, the Rome Chamber Music Festival, and the Telluride and RockyGrass Bluegrass Festivals.

He recently announced a new violin-piano duo project, Upstream, with composer-pianist Will Healy; they co-compose their repertoire.

Claire Bryant is a cellist, teacher and activist, whose passion and commitment shine brightly through all of her work.

A sought-after and distinctive performer, Claire has collaborated with such master artists as Emanuel Ax, Sir Simon Rattle and Dawn Upshaw, and worked closely with luminary composers from Meredith Monk to Steve Reich to Herbie Hancock. Over the past 25 years, she has enjoyed a prominent solo career, appearing with major orchestras around the world including the Spartanburg Symphony Orchestra, Finland’s Kuopio Symphony Orchestra and The National Symphony of Honduras.

Claire is a co-founder and co-Artistic Director of Decoda, Carnegie Hall’s Affiliate Ensemble, and director of its initiative Music for Transformation, a criminal justice program which brings collaborative songwriting workshops to incarcerated communities. In this capacity, she was invited twice to share Decoda’s work with the Obama administration in the White House.

In 2019, Claire returned to her native South Carolina to join the University of South Carolina School of Music’s faculty, where she enjoys a robust studio of talented young cellists. She is the Coordinator of Community Engagement at the School of Music, and is the director of The Collective, a graduate ensemble dedicated to creative and innovative community performances and programming.

Claire attended the University of South Carolina, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and The Juilliard School, where her primary teachers were Robert Jesselson, Joel Krosnick, and Bonnie Hampton.

About the Joye in Aiken 2020 Artists

Hailed by Jon Batiste as "one of the world’s most important saxophonists," Eddie Barbash was a founding member of the house band for The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and currently tours the world with Cory Wong and the Wongnotes. His unmistakable sound is featured on the Oscar- and GRAMMY-winning soundtrack of the 2020 Disney movie Soul. He has performed at venues ranging from Carnegie Hall to Madison Square Garden to the Village Vanguard and has headlined both the Newport Jazz Festival and the Newport Folk Festival, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, and the Umbria Jazz Festival.

Barbash's versatile sound has led him to collaborate with musicians in many styles. At age 18 he joined the sextet of legendary jazz drummer Chico Hamilton and the quintet of emerging jazz star Jon Batiste. In his 20's, he fell in love with American traditional music and began touring with bluegrass phenomenon Sierra Hull. He is a frequent guest with funk band Vulfpeck and indie rocker Sam Evian. In 2016 he performed a duet on national TV with Yo-Yo Ma, and in 2024 he performed the world premiere of "Songs Of Nature," a concerto for saxophone and choir by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Paul Moravec.
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Eddie has released four albums: "For Murray and Lillian," a collection of crooning melodies dedicated to his late grandparents, arranged by Kyle Athayde for an octet of four strings and jazz quartet; "Eddie Barbash Live Parts 1-4," a selection of the best performances of six years of leading bands in NYC; and most recently "Live With Jim, Joe, and Dave," a snapshot of one night of improvised music in Brooklyn, recorded directly to tape in one of the borough's hippest local haunts. 
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Eddie is an alumnus of The Juilliard School and The New School.  He was born in West Islip, NY, and was raised in Oaxaca, Mexico, Atlanta, Georgia, and Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He lives in Nashville.

www.eddiebarbash.com

About the Joye in Aiken Artists

Known for his versatility across multiple styles, Jeff Picker is an in-demand double bassist, bass guitarist, composer, and bandleader in Nashville, TN. 

Hailed as the “designated bassist to the stars” (The Willamette Week), Jeff is a touring member of platinum-selling, genre-bending, progressive bluegrass band Nickel Creek (Chris Thile, Sara Watkins, Sean Watkins), with whom he has performed extensively in the United States and Europe. Prior to that, he spent five years as a member of 15-time GRAMMY Award winner and Grand Ole Opry member Ricky Skaggs’ band Kentucky Thunder, and one year as a member of IBMA Award-winning all-star bluegrass ensemble East Nash Grass. He appears frequently as a member of the staff band at the Grand Ole Opry, accompanying country legends such as Vince Gill, John Anderson, and many more. 

Jeff has also appeared on over 50 records in styles ranging from bluegrass to country to jazz to Americana, including Sarah Jarosz’s acclaimed 2024 release “Polaroid Lovers.” He has also performed or recorded on a freelance basis with dozens of other artists including Mark O’Connor, Sam Bush, John Jorgensen, Tim O’Brien, and David Grisman.

Jeff’s musical journey began as a child in Dallas, TX, where he absorbed the vibrant golden era sounds of 90’s country music. At age 11, his family relocated to Portland, OR where he became immersed in jazz and related styles of improvisational music, quickly becoming “one of the country’s most talented young jazz bassists” (The Oregonian), and garnering numerous awards including a coveted designation by the US Department of Education as a Presidential Scholar in the Arts.  He was awarded a full-tuition scholarship to Manhattan School of Music, where he spent a year studying jazz before matriculating at Columbia University. He graduated in 2011 and began his musical career, paying his dues in the clubs and bars of New York City. In the dynamic New York scene, Jeff began to develop as a unique stylist, combining jazz virtuosity with his rediscovered love of country music and newfound appreciation of bluegrass. In 2017, Jeff moved to Nashville as a member of the band Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, where his stature in the bluegrass scene began to rise. 

In 2020, Jeff ventured into the role of composer and bandleader with his first solo album, “With the Bass in Mind,” which debuted at #13 on the Billboard Bluegrass chart. Hailed as “remarkable” (Bluegrass Today), this collection of original compositions deftly weaves together Jeff’s formative training in jazz within his adopted home format of the bluegrass string band. His follow-up 2022 release, “Liquid Architecture,” co-produced by Viktor Krauss (Lyle Lovett), takes these sounds one step further, utilizing unique instrumentations and offering cinematic arrangements of soulful, genre-less melodies. 

When not on tour, Jeff works extensively in and around Nashville, TN, where he lives with his wife. 

www.jeffpicker.com

About the Joye in Aiken Artists

Grammy-winning baritone and New Jersey native John Brancy is a master with “mesmerizing tone,” says OperaWire. This powerhouse graduate of New York’s famed Juilliard School expertly performs across operatic and musical styles. He’s a virtuoso of staged opera, concert performance, and recital.

In the 2024/25 season, Brancy will make debuts at the Opéra Comique, Opéra national du Rhin, Théâtre de la Ville de Luxembourg, PROTOType Festival and Tiroler Festspiele Erl, reprising his acclaimed dual roles of The Artisan and The Collector in Sir George Benjamin’s Picture a Day Like This. He will also return to the Bayerische Staatsoper in Weinberg’s Lady Magnesia, make his role debut as Marcello in La bohème at Opéra de Montréal, and debut with the Austin Symphony performing Carmina Burana.

Already in his young career, Brancy has taken the New York performance world by storm. Since winning the Marilyn Horne Song Competition in 2013, he has performed multiple times at Carnegie Hall; debuted at Alice Tully Hall with pianist Brian Zeger; and debuted with MasterVoices at Jazz at Lincoln Center as Escamillo in Carmen. He also reprised HEROES for NYFOS in collaboration with Charles Yang and Peter and Kara Dugan, and made his Café Carlyle debut with Peter, ushering in a new era of classical cabaret at the famous venue.

Internationally, Brancy’s performances have been hailed across the globe. In the 2023/24 season, he starred in dual roles at the world premiere of Picture a Day Like This by George Benjamin and Martin Crimp, first at the Aix-en-Provence Festival 75th Anniversary and subsequently at London’s Royal Opera House. The Financial Times called him “remarkable,” and the Telegraph “powerful,” and the New York Times noted him as a baritone with “impressive skill — seamless passaggio between the richly resonant depths of his range and a weightless, dreamy falsetto.”

Further performances in the 2023/24 season included concerts with Insula Orchestra at the Barbican Center (Fauré Requiem), Bayerische Staatsorchester in Munich (Weinberg, Lady Magnesia), Oratorio Society of New York at Carnegie Hall (Handel, Messiah; Gordon; The Grapes of Wrath), and at the US Naval Academy (Britten, War Requiem). Additionally, he returned to Festival d’Aix-en-Provence to sing the title role of Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria.

Brancy’s collaborations have included conductors Lorenzo Viotti, Helmut Rilling, James Gaffigan, Henrik Nánási, Ken-David Masur, Lawrence Renes, Alexander Prior, Klaas Stok, and Alexander Briger. With a repertoire spanning from Bach to George Benjamin, Brancy has headlined performances with leading orchestras and opera companies, including the LA Phil, San Francisco Symphony, Oper Frankfurt, Boston Symphony, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Pacific Opera Victoria, and Opera Omaha, among others.

In the 2022/23 season, he made his debut with the Cleveland Orchestra as Jake Wallace in La Fanciulla del West. He took on the role of Franz Wolff-Metternich in the world premiere of La Beauté du Monde, by playwright Michel Marc Bouchard and composer Julien Bilodeau, at Opéra de Montréal, and performed as a soloist with Theater Erfurt in conductor/composer Alexander Prior’s arrangement of Schubert’s Winterreise for orchestra.

Previously, Brancy made his role debut as Guglielmo in two new productions of Mozart’s Così fan tutte at San Francisco Opera and San Diego Opera, receiving great critical acclaim. He performed Duruflé Requiem and Joseph Canteloube songs with the Milwaukee Symphony under the baton of Ken-David Masur, and debuted Mahler’s Songs of a Wayfarer with APEX Ensemble in Montclair, NJ.

He also released a self-produced collaborative album with Avie Records and Vocal Arts DC, The Journey Home: Live from the Kennedy Center, which reunited him with pianist Peter Dugan in a recital program inspired by the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. He produced the recital as a film which aired on WNET and the PBS app AllArts

TV.  The Sarasota Herald-Tribune called it “stirring and sobering,” while BroadwayWorld.com called it “timeless.”  Brancy also collaborated with Tony Award–winning composer Adam Guettel to create a short film titled Medusa, as part of the song cycle Myths and Hymns, produced by MasterVoices.

Brancy’s solo and concert recitals have taken him across the New York metro area and around the world, with performances at Royal Concertgebouw, Wigmore Hall, Hugo Wolf Akademie, Société d’art vocal de Montréal, Carmel Bach Festival, and the Kennedy Center. At home in NY, he is known as the official anthem singer of Madison Square Garden for NY Rangers NHL Hockey home games.

www.johnbrancy.com

About the Joye in Aiken Artists

Grand Prize winners of the Coltman Chamber Music Competition, KASA Quartet is known for its genre-defying performances that fuse classical repertoire with jazz, musical theater, folk, and pop standards. 

KASA takes pride in creating original arrangements and transcriptions of works by celebrated composers such as Jacob Collier, Marvin Hamlisch, and George Gershwin. Their innovative approach has attracted audiences and presenters from different musical interests, and the quartet has performed and taught at renowned festivals and institutions including Ravinia Festival, Saratoga Performing Arts Center, and Miami Music Project.

KASA released their debut album in July 2022 (Forever Wild, Volume 1), featuring collaborations with guest artists including Eddie Barbash, Sawyer Fredericks, and Warp Trio.

www.kasaquartet.com

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Dynamic and soothing four-piece vocal group Kings Return take pride in crafting a diverse yet supremely cohesive a cappella sound: The blend of their unique vocal timbres is so rich and so smooth that, at times, it sounds more like a full choir than a mere four men. Discovered after posting a series of bare-bones stairwell performances that went viral, their music is a balm to the soul, laced with expansive harmonies that flex the agility and effortless range of their vocal talent.

Their sound has earned comparisons to iconic acts like Take 6 and Boyz II Men. But what sets Kings Return apart is their seamless integration of a wide range of genres and styles. Drawn to the flexibility of a cappella music, they take full advantage of the genre-mixing aspects of the tradition. Their brand of R&B is entwined with free moments of jazz, soulful bursts of gospel, and bright touches of pop—all built on a solid, classical foundation. Theirs is the kind of talent that makes virtuosic performance look (and sound) like sublime, effortless playtime, defying the constraints of any single genre to explore a myriad of sonic shades and textures.

Kings Return was first conceived in 2016, when Gabe Kunda asked some friends to perform with him for a college recital. The a cappella performance captivated the crowd and soon led to local gigs, where the group cut their teeth before finalizing the lineup in 2020. Composed of tenor Vaughn Faison, bass Gabe Kunda, tenor JE McKissic, and baritone Jamall Williams, the Dallas-based quartet has since captured the hearts of millions of fans in-person and online.

They earned their first taste of fame that summer, when they arranged, performed, and posted a video of their soul-stirring, a cappella rendition of “God Bless America,” which went viral. The next year, they posted a more classical a cappella performance of “Ubi Caritas,” which also went viral, amassing over 10 million views.

In a pivotal moment for the budding act, Kings Return began to shift away from a strictly gospel focus to explore a more diverse musical repertoire. They dropped their debut EP in December 2021, a warm, jazz-leaning holiday album titled “Merry Little Christmas,” followed by the June 2022 release of their stunning Bee Gees cover “How Deep is Your Love” off debut LP “ROVE,” which earned a GRAMMY nomination for “best arrangement instrumental or a cappella.” Epic, expansive, and polished, “ROVE” was released in September 2022, showcasing a nuanced attention to detail and a remarkable fusion of four distinctive, classically-trained voices into one elegant and intricate whole.

The group’s name perfectly embodies their intentions as artists: “Kings” because they possess a charismatic power, moving forward with confidence to conquer whatever challenges arise. The “Return” signifies another important part of their mission: to give back to the communities that have supported them along the way.  Kings Return continues to defy expectations, charming audiences with their signature smoothness and sophisticated, down-to-earth charisma.

Vaughn Faison (Tenor 1) is a vocalist, songwriter, top-liner, and producer originally from New York. Recently, he has relocated from Fredonia, New York to Dallas, Texas. Vaughn covers a wide range of genres including R&B, pop, soul, and folk. He also has a master's degree in Jazz Voice. To top off his impressive vocal abilities, Vaughn plays guitar and piano.

J.E. McKissic (Tenor 2) is a soul-stirring singer from Dallas, Texas. The son of a preacher and a school teacher, he learned to sing as a child in his father’s church, where he still sings to this day! His bright soaring sound has carved a unique musical journey crossing the genres of gospel, jazz, classical and contemporary music. In addition to performing, J.E. is a vocal coach, a choir director, and a worship leader. He has sung all over the U.S.A., and also traveled to Brazil, Germany, and Canada. J.E. lives in Arlington, Texas with his wife Rachel and their six children.

Jamall Williams (Baritone) is a native of Dallas, TX. Outside of the group he lends his vocal talents to artists such as Tamela Mann, Marvin Sapp and Jabari Johnson. His dog, Carlisle, has him trained well and keeps him busy running around in his free time.

Gabe Kunda (Bass) is a voice actor, vocalist, and vocal arranger from Dallas, TX. His love for music began in church and in school, where he began growing his musical knowledge. Kunda is a voice actor by trade and can be heard in Call of Duty Warzone (Jackal), Valorant (KAY/O), Apex Legends (Newcastle), Ranking of Kings Anime (Desha), and My Hero Academia (Rock Lock). He also has voiced trailers and promos for shows and movies such as Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness (Marvel), TBS, The Bad Guys (Universal Pictures), The Batman (Warner Bros.), Encanto (Disney), Westside Story (20th Century) and many more. In his downtime Gabe loves taking trips with his wife, playing video games, watching anime, and photography.

www.kingsreturnmusic.com

About the Joye in Aiken Artists

Mark Rapp, a versatile musician and dedicated educator, is making significant strides in the jazz world. As a renowned trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader, he has become a central figure in the Columbia, South Carolina jazz scene. His initiative, ColaJazz.com, serves as a platform for promoting jazz through events, educational programs, recordings, and advocacy.

Rapp's passion for nurturing young talent is evident in his summer jazz camp, which has attracted acclaimed musicians like Delfeayo Marsalis and Dave Liebman. The annual ColaJazz Festival, curated by Rapp, showcases prominent artists such as Chris Potter and Wess "Warmddy" Anderson, contributing to the vibrant jazz landscape of the region.

Recognized as an Ambassador of Jazz for South Carolina, Rapp's influence extends beyond performance. He is a dedicated educator, offering private lessons and leading workshops internationally. His commitment to sharing his knowledge and expertise is evident in his involvement with the United Nations World Music Project.

Rapp's musical journey has been marked by critical acclaim and collaborations with jazz luminaries. His debut album, "Token Tales," earned him recognition as a "Top Emerging Trumpeter" in Downbeat Magazine. He has performed at prestigious venues worldwide, including the Blue Note in New York City and the Newport Jazz Festival. Collaborations with renowned musicians like Roy Hargrove, Dave Brubeck, and Wycliffe Gordon have further solidified his position in the jazz community.

Rapp's dedication to performance, education, and advocacy ensures the continued growth and appreciation of jazz music. His innovative approach to music-making and his commitment to fostering the next generation of jazz musicians make him a valuable asset to the jazz world.

 www.markrapp.com 

About the Joye in Aiken Artists

A musician equally at home in classical, jazz, and pop idioms, pianist, composer and radio host Peter Dugan has appeared as soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician across North America and around the world. His performance of the Ives Fourth Symphony with the San Francisco Symphony and Michael Tilson Thomas was described by the Los Angeles Times as “stunning” and by the San Francisco Chronicle as “fearlessly athletic” and was recorded for release; he repeated the Ives project in a series of four concerts for the Houston Symphony with Andrés Orozco-Estrada. He had previously collaborated with MTT at the New World Symphony, and has made other orchestra appearances with the Kansas City Symphony, New Albany Symphony, Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, Johnstown Symphony, and Annapolis Chamber Orchestra.

Peter is heard on radios nationwide weekly as host of NPR’s From the Top. His approach stems from his commitment to sharing classical music through his warm-hearted openness to young voices; and in addition to hosting the show, he leads inspiring collaborations, conversations, and performances with the young artists. Classical Sonoma observed: “Mr. Dugan’s seemingly inexhaustible energy, combined with a dedicated teacher’s heart and musical artistry, is inspiring to observe… That geniality and dynamism translate directly into his music-making. One gets the feeling that he is reaching out for that magic, elusive connection. And he succeeds.”

He’s an active and passionate collaborator who has toured extensively with violinists Joshua Bell and Charles Yang, and vocalists John Brancy and Kara Dugan (his wife)—partnerships that have resulted in recording projects, documentaries, music videos, and a first-prize win at the Montreal Competition. He also regularly performs with other friends and artists who share a passion for expanding the world of classical music, from Jesse Colin Young to Renee Fleming to Paquito D’Rivera to Itzhak Perlman.

As a composer, Peter has performed his own works everywhere from Carnegie Hall to Joe’s Pub, and his arrangements have been released by Disney+. He is co-writing with his brother Leonardo Dugan a new piano concerto, set to debut in spring 2026, and also collaborates with his colleagues to create electrifying arrangements of pop music. Supportive of new music, he has worked with the American Contemporary Music Ensemble and presented several world premieres. Peter is also comfortable jamming and improvising on piano and melodica with the likes of bassist Victor Wooten, violinists Tessa Lark and Charles Yang, and actress Glenn Close.

In 2020, he joined acclaimed violinist Joshua Bell for At Home With Music, a national PBS broadcast and live album release on Sony Classical. Since then, he has continued his collaboration with Joshua, touring internationally with recitals at London’s Wigmore Hall, Taipei’s National Theater and Concert Hall, and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

The Wall Street Journal described Peter’s collaboration with violinist and vocalist Charles Yang as a “classical-meets-rockstar duo.” Their creativity has resulted in a musical comedy show with violist and Tonight Show veteran Isabel Hagen.

Peter’s latest album with baritone John Brancy—The Journey Home: Live from the Kennedy Center—was released on Avie Records in 2021, along with an accompanying documentary film from WNET’s AllArts. They have given recitals together at Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall, and the Kennedy Center, and together won first prize at the 2018 Montreal International Music Competition. Peter’s latest project with violinist Sean Lee was PaganiniXSchumann, a digital EP release that accompanied a live performance at Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center of all 24 Paganini Caprices with piano parts written by Robert Schumann.

In Peter’s performances with his wife, mezzo-soprano Kara Dugan, repertoire ranges from art song to American Songbook, to original songs and world premieres. The Dugans have appeared at Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, WQXR’s Greene Space, and on PBS Great Performances’ Now Hear This.

As a founding creator of Operation Superpower, a superhero opera for children, Peter has traveled to dozens of schools in the greater New York area, performing for students and encouraging them to use their talents—their superpowers—for good. He is head of the Artist in Residence program at piano Sonoma and a founding faculty member of the Resonance and Soundboard Institutes at Honeywell Arts Academy.

Peter Dugan holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The Juilliard School, where he studied under Matti Raekallio. He resides in Montclair, NJ, and is a Yamaha Artist.

www.peterduganpiano.com

About the Joye in Aiken 2020 Artists