2024 Festival Artists

Emma Taylor is a bassist, vocalist, and educator based in Central Illinois where she currently serves as Professor of Bass at Millikin University. After graduating from Millikin University with a Bachelor of Music Degree in Music Business and Commercial Music, Emma received her Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts Degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. While studying under the direction of Larry Gray at UIUC, she served as the Jazz Bass Teaching Assistant, the Classical Bass Teaching Assistant, and the director of Jazz Band III.

Emma has played with renowned musicians such as Carl Allen, Jim Snidero, Derrick Gardner, Gary Smulyan, Tito Carrillo, Adrian Terrazas-Gonzalez, Joel Spencer, and Chip McNeill. In addition to performing throughout the United States, Emma has also toured in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, and Mexico—most recently completing a two week-long residency performing and teaching classes in Brazil at the Federal University of Uberlândia.

Emma is also a member of Simply This Quintet, a collaborative ensemble that performs original compositions by members of the band. Simply This regularly tours and presents masterclasses at universities and music conferences, recently performing at Furman University and Anderson University in South Carolina, The Ohio State University, and Millikin University. Emma has also been invited to perform at national conferences including Jazz Education Network, Midwest Band and Orchestra Association, North American Saxophone Alliance, and International Society of Bassists Convention. She is a member of the Women in Jazz Organization. 

Website: EmmaMTaylor.com

With an extremely diverse background in classical, jazz, and popular music; Dr. Sarah Roberts has performed with a gamut of ensembles ranging from her new music trio, Essimar; to sharing the stage with such musicians as The O’Jays, The Temptations, Martina McBride, Phil Woods, Randy Brecker, Tom Bones Malone, Wayne Bergeron, Eric Marienthal, and Kirk Whalum; to performing with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and New World Symphony; and all points in between! In addition to her versatile performing life, Dr. Roberts is a highly sought-after pedagogue having been invited to teach, clinic, and adjudicate throughout the United States, Europe and China. Dr. Roberts is a Selmer Paris Artist and a Vandoren Artist-Clinician and is the Associate Professor of Music in saxophone and jazz studies and serves as the Interim Director of the School of Performing Arts at The University of Texas at Tyler. To find out more information about Dr. Roberts visit her website at www.sarahlynnroberts.com. 

Dr. Robert Brooks is a jazz saxophonist and educator dedicated to cultivating the tradition of jazz education. He holds a DMA and MM from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a BM from Central Michigan University. He currently serves as associated faculty in Jazz Studies at Ohio State. Robert’s most recent releases, “Accidental Nomad” and “New Standard Duo” on Ropeadope Records, have received critical acclaim. He has toured with Reginald Chapman’s “Pressure Fit,” Sun Stereo, and The Lake Effect, throughout the Midwest and East Coast. He has also performed with jazz legends including Bob Mintzer, Bobby Shew, Tom “Bones” Malone, Jeff Hamilton Trio, Jim Pugh, Joel Spencer, Tito Carillo, Nathan Gunn, The Temptations and many more.

Brooks’ passion for jazz performance and pedagogy comes through the lens of small-ensemble performance and a focus on exploring improvisation within the language of jazz and from other disciplines. In addition to his expertise in jazz improvisation, he also has strong roots in the tradition of classical saxophone, clarinet and flute; he has performed in pit orchestras for the national tours of Kinky Boots and Chicago as well as multiple productions at The Little Theatre on the Square and The Columbus Children’s Theater.

Dr. Brooks proudly endorses P. Mauriat Saxophones, Clarinets, and Flute as well as KeyLeaves products.

Ben Carrasquillo is a versatile trombonist who actively performs classical, jazz, and commercial music. He serves as Instructor of Trombone at Eastern Illinois University, in Charleston, IL, while also maintaining an active freelance career across the Midwest. He also maintains a private studio of middle and high school students in the Champaign-Urbana area.

Ben is the Principal Trombonist of the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra, and performs regularly with symphony orchestras in the Midwest, including the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia da Camera, the Peoria Symphony Orchestra, the Danville Symphony Orchestra, the Heartland Festival Orchestra, and the Quad Cities Symphony Orchestra. As a jazz and commercial player, he has performed with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, the Temptations and the Four Tops, the Beach Boys, Jukebox Saturday Night, the Unexpected Boys, the national tour of Chicago: The Musical, Black Jacket Symphony, and more.

Ben is the co-director of the Iron Post Jazz Orchestra, a big band based out of Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. He founded the band with Dr. Robert Brooks with the goal of fostering new, original music for big band written by members of the ensemble. The band’s debut album is forthcoming. Ben is also a founding member of the Afro-Caribbean Jazz Collective, led by Chicago-based guitarist Jose Guzman. The ACJC is a latin jazz ensemble committed to writing and performing exciting music in a wide variety of Latin American styles. The band’s discography and more can be found at www.acjcmusic.com.

Drummer, percussionist, educator, composer, and producer Dr. Fabio Augustinis is Assistant Professor of Practice in Commercial Music and Jazz Studies at Texas Tech University. Prior to his appointment at Texas Tech, Dr. Augustinis served as Lecturer in Jazz Drum Set at The University of Texas at Austin. He received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from The University of Texas at Austin and earned degrees in music from The University of Iowa, and State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil. 

A versatile performer, he has appeared on approximately 30 commercially released albums in jazz, “Latin,” and commercial music idioms. Dr. Augustinis has been invited to conduct masterclasses at the University of Miami – Frost School of Music in Florida, College Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati, Ohio, The University of Iowa, State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), and Federal University of Goiás (UFG), Brazil. 

He has performed both professionally and academically with Jiggs Wigham, Steve Davis, Joe Lovano, Ernie Watts, Brian Lynch, Melvin Butler, The Des Moines Big Band, Andre Hayward, Jeff Hellmer, Steven Feifke, Benny Bennack III, Nailor Azevedo, Teco Cardoso, Léa Freire, André Marques (Hermeto Pascoal), and many other prominent artists. His appearances as a soloist include affiliations with the Juneau (Alaska) Symphony Orchestra, the Campinas Jazz Big Band, and the Symphony Orchestra of Campinas, Brazil.

In 2018, he published an article on drummer and educator Alan Dawson, featured on the magazine Percussive Notes, the official journal of the Percussive Arts Society, the world’s largest percussion organization. Fabio Augustinis is an endorsing artist for Canopus Drums and Bosphorus Cymbals.

Described as “playing a mean guitar” (Wichita Eagle), William Flynn is a Kansas-based jazz guitarist and educator currently serving as Director of Jazz Studies at Wichita State University. William is a first-call guitarist in the Wichita area, regularly appearing as both a leader and sideman at local clubs and festivals. 

Equally accomplished and respected as an educator, William has taught and presented at conferences and universities around the country and is the co-author of Mel Bay’s 2016 publication Jazz Guitar Duets.

William holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Studies from Capital University (Columbus, OH), and a Master of Music degree from the University of North Texas, where he held a position as a Graduate Teaching Fellow. As a member of the One O’ Clock Lab Band, he can be heard on Lab 2012.

In his position at Wichita State University, William teaches applied guitar and jazz improvisation and directs both the Jazz Arts Ensemble 2 and the Guitar Ensemble.

Ben Markley, a jazz pianist, has performed with Brian Lynch, Greg Osby, Eddie Henderson, Terell Stafford, George Garzone, and John Fedchock. Markley’s latest recording project is Clockwise: The Music of Cedar Walton (OA2 records). Markley, along with special guest trumpeter Terell Stafford, celebrates one of the more influential and beloved figures in jazz through this unique project, showcasing many of the late pianist and composer Cedar Walton’s most revered tunes through new arrangements for big band. Performing iconic compositions such as ‘Hindsight,’ ‘Bolivia,’ and ‘Holy Land,’ Markley brings together fellow faculty members from the University of Wyoming and top-flight Denver-area musicians to produce an honest and swinging recording that honors Cedar Walton while presenting his music in a bright new light. The album received great critical acclaim and was selected as one of the best 4 star rated albums of 2017 by DownBeat magazine

Markley is active as a composer and arranger with many big band and vocal jazz charts published through UNC Jazz Press. Recent arranging commissions include the Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia and Wyoming Jazz Educators All-State Jazz Band. Compositions from Markleyʼs first two albums have earned him ASCAP Young Jazz Composers Awards. Markley was selected to participate in the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead program held at the Kennedy Center.

Markley’s book A Practical Approach to Improvisation – The David Hazeltine Method was published by Jamey Aebersold Jazz in December of 2014. It documents David Hazeltine’s process of creating etudes from transcriptions.

Markley is an active performer in the Denver-metropolitan area and along the front range. He can be seen regularly at in Ft. Collins as part of the Subterranean jazz trio at Ace Gillett’s Lounge.

Markley currently serves as Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Wyoming where he directs and coaches the Wyoming Jazz Ensemble, and combos. He also teaches applied jazz piano, improvisation and is the director of the UW Jazz Festival.

Micah Bell received a Bachelor of Music Education degree from TCU in 2007 and a Masters in Trumpet Performance in 2009. After that, while attending the University of North Texas, he was a member of the famed One O’Clock Lab Band. As an educator, Mr. Bell is a very active clinician in the DFW metroplex and East Texas teaching jazz and trumpet masterclasses as well as private lessons since 2004. He is also a regularly performing professional musician all over the DFW metroplex and East Texas in many different types of musical settings.

As a composer/arranger, Micah Bell is very busy as well writing commissions for various ensembles and has had pieces premiered at several national and international conferences. He has also had the opportunity to share the stage with such notable musicians as Aretha Franklin, Johnny Mathis, Hugh Jackman, Aubrey Logan, Wayne Bergeron, Kirk Whalum, Tom͞ Bones Malone, Terrell Stafford, Allen Vizzuti, Andy Martin, Bobby Shew, Vincent DiMartino, Arturo Sandoval, Chad LB, Doc Severinsen, Randy Brecker, Eric Marienthal, Lou Marini, and many others.

In addition, he has also been a featured guest artist with numerous middle school, high school, and college bands for concerts, festivals, and conventions throughout the country. He is a regular member of the Imperial Brass, Omni Brass, Rose City Brass, Metroplexity Big Band, Essimar Trio, Rose City Jazz Orchestra, and The Project Band. He currently serves as a busy freelance trumpet player, composer and arranger in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex as well as East Texas and is the Professor of Trumpet and Jazz at Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas.