Norm Lewis recently appeared onstage, starring in the off-Broadway production of Ceremonies In Dark Old Men as well as the national tour of the Tony Award-winning production of A Soldier's Play, and starred in Andrew Lloyd Webber's award-winning West End Concert of "Love Never Dies." Mr. Lewis last appeared on Broadway in the Fall of 2021, starring in Chicken and Biscuits at the Circle In The Square Theatre. He received several award nominations for his performance as Porgy in the Broadway production of The Gershwins’ Porgy & Bess and, in 2014, made history as the first Black “Phantom” in The Phantom Of The Opera.  He is an Emmy, Grammy, Tony, and SAG Award nominee for his work onstage, screen, and in music. Mr. Lewis is a proud founding member of Black Theatre United. 

2022 Grammy Nominee, and recipient of the Los Angeles Jazz Society’s Jazz Vocalist Award, Carmen Bradford, was born in Austin, Texas and raised in Altadena, California. Carmen Bradford grew up with music in her home and in her heart. It was only natural that Carmen would follow in the footsteps of her great family legacy being the daughter of legendary coronetist/composer Bobby Bradford and world-renown jazz vocalist/composer/author Melba Joyce. 

At the age of 22 years old, Carmen was discovered and hired by William “Count” Basie and was the featured vocalist in the legendary Count Basie Orchestra for nine years. She has since performed and/or recorded with: Wynton Marsalis, Shelly Berg, Jeremy Monteiro, John Clayton, along with the Clayton Hamilton Orchestra, Nancy Wilson, Lena Horne, Doc Severinsen, Tony Bennett, James Brown, Willie Nelson, Tierney Sutton, Liz Wright, Patti Austin, Byron Stripling, Dori Caymmi, George Benson, Frank Sinatra, Joe Williams, Kurt Elling, Jeff Tyzik, Freddie Cole, Benny Carter, Kenny Rankin, Lou Rawls, James Newton, David Murray, DIVA Jazz Orchestra, Dani Felber Big Band, Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, along with the National Symphony, RochesterPhilharmonic, Dallas Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Vancouver Philharmonic, Philadelphia Pops, and countless artist around the world. 

Carmen performed on two Grammy Award winning albums with the Count Basie Orchestra in the 1980’s and later collaborated on a third Grammy Award winning album, “Big Boss Band” with guitarist George Benson in 1991. Her soulful voice warmed the hearts of the world through the celebrated performance of the classic duet, “How Do You Keep The Music Playing” on the TONIGHT SHOW with Johnny Carson that same year.

Carmen Bradford’s body of work reflects a vast depth of musical experience and technical brilliance. She is also recognized for the overwhelming passion she brings to the lyric. Carmen Bradford has truly contributed to the perpetuation and preservation of this great American art form called jazz and continues to do so. 

The Symphony Orchestra, directed by Octavio Más-Arocas, was established in 1927 and has performed for the Music Educators National Conference in Indianapolis on two occasions. It has presented the gala opening concert of the Music Educators Midwestern Conference in Ann Arbor and performed the opening concert to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Midwest International Conference of Bands and Orchestras in Chicago. The Symphony Orchestra has recorded for Koch International Classics, Arizona University Records, GIA Records, and PBS specials. In addition, the orchestra’s performance of “The Birth of a Symphony,” Symphony No. 4 (“The Gardens”) by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, was videotaped by PBS for nationwide distribution

GRAMMY-nominated pianist Aaron Diehl has quietly redefined the lines between jazz and classical and built a global career around his nuanced, understated approach to music-making. Praised for his “melodic precision, harmonic erudition, and elegant restraint” (The New York Times), and his “traditional jazz sound with a sophisticated contemporary spin” (The Guardian), Diehl has performed with musical giants such as Wynton Marsalis, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Tyshawn Sorey, and Philip Glass. Diehl has been a soloist with the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, and the Cleveland Orchestra, and worked with conductors like Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Marin Alsop, and Alan Gilbert. In 2023, Diehl was named the Artistic Director of 92NY’s Jazz in July Festival, succeeding the legendary Bill Charlap. 

Joining Diehl is Philip Norris, who recently graduated from The Juilliard School of Music with a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Jazz Studies. He first began his music path in his hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina, on the piano and French horn before developing his passion for bass at age 13. His collaborations encompass esteemed names such as Wynton Marsalis, The Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra, Joshua Redman, David Sanborn, Veronica Swift, and, more recently, Emmet Cohen 

Rounding out the trio is Aaron Kimmel, who for nearly two decades, resided in New York working as a freelance drummer. Kimmel holds a Bachelor of Music degree from The Juilliard School, where he studied with Kenny Washington and Billy Drummond. He frequently appears at Smalls and Dizzy's Club, as well as venues all around the world. Kimmel has played with such jazz luminaries as Harry Allen, Ken Peplowski, Eric Alexander, Joe Magnarelli, Grant Stewart, Terell Stafford, Ryan Kisor, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Ann Hampton Callaway, Mary Stallings, and Jon Faddis.