Winterlude Teaching Artist

Steve has been an active performing cellist and private cello teacher in Durango Colorado since 2011. Steve has taught with Be Frank, Beacon String Program, Kaizen’s Music, Stillwater Music, in addition to public school programs. The Four Corners area has offered unique opportunities including performances with the Colorado College Summer Music Festival, Durango Bach Festival, Durango Choral Society, San Juan Symphony, Telluride Chamber Music, Wasserman Music Festival, Nova Duo, and various chamber groups.

While attending Chicago Musical College, Steve’s primary cello teacher and musical influence was George Kim Scholes. During this time, he played with the Classical Symphony Orchestra and maintained a studio of private students. An orchestra musician since childhood, Steve has been fortunate to play in the Barbican Center, Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln Center, Madison Square Garden, & the Royal Albert Hall.

Outside of music Steve can be found enjoying many of the outdoor activities Colorado has to offer.

Steven White, cello

Winterlude Cello Teaching Artist Steve has been an active performing cellist and private cello teacher in Durango Colorado since 2011. Steve has taught with Be Frank, Beacon String Program, Kaizen’s Music, Stillwater Music, in addition to public school programs. The Four Corners area has offered unique opportunities including performances with the Colorado College Summer Music […]

Based in New York City, Marty Kenney is among his generation’s most versatile and in-demand upright and electric bassists. Originally born and raised in Palmer, Alaska, Marty received his bachelor’s degree at the University of Northern Colorado. He relocated to New York City in 2012, where he completed his Master’s degree at the Manhattan School of Music, studying under bassist Jay Anderson. Marty has performed with musicians such as Art Lande, Billy Drummond, Rich Perry, Steve Slagle, Allan Harris, Rez Abbasi, Steve Wilson, Brian Krock’s Big Heart Machine, David Berkman, and the New York Standards Quartet featuring Tim Armacost and Gene Jackson. He has appeared on recordings by Steve Slagle, Allan Harris, Brian Krock’s liddle featuring Matt Mitchell, Olli Hirvonen featuring Water Smith III, and toured throughout the United States and Europe with Allan Harris, liddle, and New Helsinki, including performances at the Montreux Jazz Festival, Pori Jazz Festival, the Mosaic Festival in Romania, Umbria Winter Jazz Festival, Porretta Soul Festival, and many notable venues around the world including the Bimhuis, Shinjuku Pit Inn, Jazzclub Unterfahrt, Smalls Jazz Club, Mezzrow, Dazzle Jazz Club, Birdland, Red Rocks Amphitheater, and Blue Note NYC.

Called “fluid, melodic” by the Chicago Reader, Kevin is a Brooklyn-based keyboardist, producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has lent his keyboard skills to a variety of singers, bands, producers, and comedians across many different genres and performed at venues such as Irving Plaza, Bowery Ballroom, the Bell House, and Brooklyn Bowl. He currently freelances as a keyboardist, but plays regularly in the Alison Shearer Band, Slow Riches, Big Stuff, as well as his own solo project, K-Magic. 

Kevin has performed and recorded with artists including Kirby, Zusha, Amaria, Maria Lynn, Jen Sanchez, Jonah Mutono, Akinyemi, Brasstracks, Rothstein, Redveil, Too Many Zooz, among others. Kevin has also shared the stage with comedians John Hodgeman, Jean Grae, Janeane Garofalo, Krystyna Hutchinson, Patrick Stewart, and Michael Che.

Hailing from Ventura, California, Kevin grew up in a musical family. In 2010, he moved to NYC to study jazz at the Manhattan School of Music. Since graduating, under the name K-Magic, Kevin has performed and released his EP “Sauce Factory” in 2019 as well as three new singles in 2021.

Drawing inspiration from across generations, drummer Horace Phillips blurs the line between jazz musician, indie artist and record producer.

Affiliated with a diverse roster of NYC-based artists and bands, he has performed at Carnegie Hall, Brooklyn Steel, Highline Ballroom, Rough Trade NYC, National Sawdust and Music Hall of Williamsburg. He has toured nationally with Zusha and with Andy Suzuki & the Method, including an early 2020 run as support for Allen Stone.

A regular in the studio, Horace has garnered extensive credits as a session musician and producer. Releases include Alison Shearer’s View From Above (JazzTimes 2022 Critic’s Pick), Zusha’s When the Sea Split (#1 iTunes World Music at debut), and albums by Solapur Road, Pear Moth, Star the Moonlight, The Phryg and Goodie, among others.

In June 2020 he released his debut single, Like You Never Do, showcasing his multi-instrumental ability and minimalist approach to production. A second solo release, Favorite, premiered in December 2022.

A former student of Adam Cruz, Vince Ector, John Riley and Kendrick Scott, Horace holds degrees from Princeton University and Manhattan School of Music.

Winterlude Teaching Artist

Angelica Salazar is an accomplished violinist, violist, and teacher based in Utah Valley. She is a brain surgery survivor and is grateful to be able to play the violin and viola today. Angelica studied with Dr. Donna Fairbanks and holds a BM in Violin Performance, Magna Cum Laude from Utah Valley University. She has performed solo and chamber music in many venues across the state of Utah, and has been a finalist and winner in several prestigious state, national, and international music competitions.

Angelica runs a successful private teaching studio and coaches the Utah Valley Youth Symphony Orchestra. She has experience teaching and adjudicating for music festivals like the Utah Mountain Springs Music Festival and various performing arts competitions. Angelica has also served as Miss Orem 2018, Miss Utah County 2019, Utah Valley University Orchestra President and currently serves as Co-Director of the Miss Utah County Scholarship Competition. She has actively planned, hosted, and performed in many large-scale musical benefit concerts and has helped to raise tens of thousands of dollars for communities and individuals in need. Angelica is passionate about using her love for music to better the lives of others.

“Wielding a skill set beyond her years, Alison Shearer is a force on the rise.” – Jazz Times 

Alison is a saxophonist and composer with tremendous style and intuition whose talents have brought her around the world. Alison has appeared with Kurt Elling, Nate Smith, Charlie Hunter, Josh Groban, Big Daddy Kane, Pharoahe Monch, Ana Egge, and is a member of the band Red Baraat, whom NPR calls “the best party band in years.” She has toured Canada, Europe, Pakistan and appeared at Rochester Jazz Festival, Saratoga Jazz Festival, Central Park Summerstage, California WorldFest and the Blue Note NYC, Radio City Music Hall, Lincoln Center, Merkin Concert Hall, Bowery Ballroom, Brooklyn Bowl, The Kennedy Center, Wolf Trap, Joe’s Pub, and Arden Concert Gild among other festivals and venues. 

Alison was a founding member of PitchBlak Brass Band, a ten-piece hip hop brass band that received critical acclaim from DownBeat Magazine, NPR, Live for Live Music, Brooklyn Vegan, The Wall Street Journal, and The Source Magazine. She performed with the band from 2010 – 2016. Alison formed her own quartet in 2016, united by the love of genre-bending melodic music. Alison’s debut album, View From Above, was released February 18, 2022.

Alison is passionate about arts education and has maintained a private teaching studio for 15 years. She recently joined the faculty of Jazz House Kids, where she leads a beginning Flute Class, a beginner Jazz Combo, and directs the junior Big Band.

Alison Shearer, saxophone; Kevin Bernstein, keys; Marty Kenney bass; Horace Phillips, drums

Since 2016, the Alison Shearer Quartet’s soulful, rich, groovy, and melodic music has quickly found traction in New York City. They have held a year-long Friday Night residency at The Williamsburg Hotel, collaborated with incredible artists including Jonathan Hoard, Melissa McMillan, Sami Stevens, Sammy Rae, JSWISS, Rabbi Darkside and Sirintip, and performed at Joe’s Pub, Rockwood Music Hall, Nublu 151, C’mon Everybody, Canary Club, Bar Lunatico, and Wild Birds in Brooklyn, NY. 

Alison writes most of the music for the ensemble and the group rehearses regularly in pursuit of their signature sound. View From Above, their debut album, was released on February 18, 2022 to critical acclaim and was named Editor’s Pick in the March/April issue of JazzTimes Magazine.

Joshua has been championed for his captivating performances and continues to be recognized as one the promising young dramatic voices of today. In the 2022-2023 season, he makes his Opera Omaha debut as Reginald in X, a role he has also performed at Detroit Opera and Odyssey Opera/Boston Modern Orchestra Project.  He also makes his English National Opera debut in Blue, which he has also performed with Seattle Opera, makes his Indianapolis Symphony debut as soloist in Handel’s Messiah, and returns to Brooklyn Art Song Society for a series of concerts. Other career highlights include Germont in La traviata with Washington National Opera, Jason in the world premiere of Matt Boehler’s 75 Miles, and his Carnegie Hall Debut in 2018 as the baritone soloist in Mozart’s Regina Cœli, K. 276, Vaughn Williams’ Serenade to Music.

Robert combines a deep commitment to the existing cello repertoire with what the New Yorker magazine calls an “adventurous” spirit in new music. With performance credits at Alice Tully Hall, Bargemusic, Carnegie Weill Recital Hall, Merkin Hall, and The Rose Studio at Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, he has also appeared as a soloist throughout Japan as a member of the New York Symphonic Ensemble, and been featured in recital on WQXR’s “Young Artist Showcase.”

At the center of new music in New York, Robert has performed with the American Modern Ensemble, Argento New Music Project, Fireworks Ensemble, Newspeak, and SONYC. Recent collaborations include Uri Caine, Georg Friedrich Haas, Aaron Jay Kernis, Steve Mackey, Joan Tower, Charles Wourinen, and Chen Yi. He has performed the New York premiere of John Harbison’s Abu Ghraib for cello and piano, and was the soloist in Augusta Read Thomas’s Passion Prayers for cello and chamber ensemble at the New York Times Center.

Robert’s major teachers include Paul Tobias at The Mannes College of Music and Uri Vardi at University of Wisconsin-Madison, and he has worked with Timothy Eddy, Aldo Parisot, and Janos Starker at festivals and masterclasses. Robert has taught at Juilliard Pre-college, Mannes Prep, Syracuse University, and Music Conservatory of Westchester, and been artist-in-residence at Yale University and the Banff Centre for the Arts in Canada. His recent CD “20/21: Music for Cello and Piano from the 20th and 21st Centuries,” features pianist Blair McMillen and the premiere of a work for cello and piano by composer Andrew Waggoner. Robert’s recording of solo Bach on the American Express commercial “Don’t Take Chances. Take Charge.” has garnered national attention.