NEH Distinguished Professor and Professor of Music William Bares received his MM in Jazz Piano Performance from the University of Miami and a Ph.D in ethnomusicology from Harvard University. He taught at Harvard, Brown, Berklee College of Music and the New England Conservatory before moving to UNC Asheville in 2011. Bares's musical and academic interests lie in the fields of jazz studies, experimental music, and ecomusicology. He has published articles in American Music, Jazz Research Journal, and the Grove Dictionary of American Music, and his book, Jazz and the European Dream, is forthcoming on Routledge Press. An active pianist and music promoter in Asheville’s scene, Bares is a member of several acclaimed local groups, has released five albums as leader or co-leader, and was the host of many musical series, including the weekly Sunday Jazz Showcase at Asheville’s Isis Music Hall. Bares has also sponsored several conferences in Asheville, including “Ecomusicologies 2014: Dialogues” in October 2014, and Post-Helene: Remembering, Rebuilding, Reimagining in September, 2025. Bares is currently the president of URSA Asheville, a non-profit dedicated to the promotion of new music in Asheville.

Will Boyd, a multi-reed instrumentalist, composer, and educator, embodies the soul sax tradition of legends like Eddie Harris, Hank Crawford, and Johnny Hodges. Originally from Orangeburg, SC, and Queens, NY, he now resides in Asheville, NC, where he serves on the music faculty at UNC Asheville and Warren Wilson College. A former member of the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra, Will has released three solo albums and co-leads a group with his wife, jazz vocalist and radio host Kelle Jolly. A South Carolina State University graduate and inductee into its Jazz Hall of Fame, Will has performed with a diverse array of artists, including Leslie Odom Jr., Wycliffe Gordon, and Regina Carter, and appeared at festivals like Big Ears and Peter Barakan's It's Magic in Tokyo. With Kelle, he has toured internationally, appeared on The Jazzy Vegetarian, and performed in musical theater productions, earning accolades such as the MLK Award for the Arts. Will also contributed to the PBS documentary and opera celebrating painter Beauford Delaney and remains an active force in Asheville’s jazz scene, directing contemporary jazz ensembles and performing weekly with various groups.

Alan Hall is a distinguished drummer and educator with over 45 years of professional experience spanning an unusually wide range of musical genres. As an educator, he has worked with students from five-year-olds to working professionals, serving as assistant professor at Berklee College of Music (1986-1993) and associate professor at The California Jazz Conservatory (2000-present). He has also taught at UC Berkeley, Cal State East Bay, and numerous prestigious summer jazz camps including the Monterey Jazz Festival Summer Jazz Camp. Currently based in Weaverville, NC, he teaches at Jim Beaver School of Music and Music and Arts in Asheville. As a performer, Hall has collaborated with renowned artists including Lee Konitz, Paul McCandless, Art Lande, Geoffrey Keezer, Ed Simon, and Kenny Washington, and has performed with Cirque du Soleil, Wicked, and Teatro Zinzanni. His recorded work includes albums with the Arterik Quartet and Jeff Denson Quartet. Hall is also an accomplished author, having written "Internalization" and "Drum Chart Supplement: The Real Easy Book Vol. 1" (Sher Music), with articles published in Down Beat and Percussive Notes. He is endorsed by Zildjian Cymbals, Vic Firth, Aquarian, and Brooks Drums.

Tim Morgan is a highly versatile performer and educator in the western North Carolina area, and is professor of Trumpet at Mars Hill University. In addition to teaching trumpet at Mars Hill University, Tim Morgan works frequently with local K-12 public school band programs as a brass instructor. He received his BM in trumpet performance from Mars Hill University and his MM in trumpet performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Tim is highly active within the Asheville music scene, performing a wide variety of styles and genres. He performs frequently with the Asheville Symphony Orchestra, Emerald Empire Band, Russ Wilson Orchestra, the Jonathan Lloyd Mashup, and is a full-time member with Empire Strikes Brass, Dirty Logic, and Joint Killer Brass Band.

Zack Page's work with various jazz ensembles, theater companies, and the cruise industry has taken him to all 50 U.S. States, the Caribbean Islands, Australia, South America, Europe and the Far East. In a jazz setting, Zack has had the good fortune to play and/or record with Billy Higgins, Delfeayo and Jason Marsalis, Cyrus Chestnut, Eddie Daniels and Babik Reinhardt, the son of gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt. Following time spent in Los Angeles and New York City, Zack and his family relocated to Asheville, NC where he enjoys a busy performing and recording schedule with many of North Carolina's finest musicians. Current projects include The Page Brothers Band, Noel Freidline and Maria Howell, The Core and many Asheville-based singer-songwriters.

Justin Ray has been a professional musician for more than 20 years. While attending the Berklee College of Music in Boston, he began to earn a reputation as a fiery and compelling trumpet soloist, comfortable in a wide variety of styles. After finishing his degree, Ray relocated to Los Angeles and quickly became one of the most in demand musicians in the region. He performed regularly with jazz legends like drummers Dave Weckl and Peter Erskine, vocalist Kurt Elling, pianists Bill Cunliffe and Alan Pasqua, and a host of others. In 2003, Ray accepted an offer from Warner Bros. recording artist Michael Buble to join his group. He has toured 45 countries, appeared on Grammy-winning recordings, and has performed at some of the most prestigious venues in the world, such as Madison Square Garden, the Sydney Opera House, Radio City Music Hall, and the Hollywood Bowl. Justin has also made a number of TV appearances, including multiple performances on The Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and Saturday Night Live. Justin has recorded multiple records under his own name. The first is a self-titled collection of his hard-bop tinged originals. His next, Love Songs is a combination of jazz and beatnik-style poetry featuring works from artists as diverse as Allen Ginsberg and Star Trek’s Commander Data. The third, Evil Man Blues features Ray both as trumpeter and vocalist on a collection of jazz standards. When he is not touring, Ray makes his home in Asheville, North Carolina.

A native of Takoma Park, Maryland, Bill was educated at Eastman School of Music, where he studied with Emory Remington. Relocating to Los Angeles in 1975, Bill has played on at least 1,000 records, 1200 movies, plus countless jingles and television shows. Primarily a bass trombone player, Bill also plays tenor trombone, contrabass trombone, euphonium, and tuba. The “Bill Reichenbach Quartet” album continues to be heard on jazz radio stations throughout the country. Bill has composed music for motion pictures and television, as well as scores for wind ensembles, trombones, and brass groups. Bill and his family recently relocated to the Asheville, NC, area. He continues to do clinics, performances, and masterclasses all over the USA & Europe. In 2003, Bill founded The Hearts of Music Fund, a non-profit organization that assists musicians with emergency medical needs. The Hearts of Music Fund raises money by offering concerts every Christmas season by the Trombones-L.A. Trombone Choir, which performs music arranged and conducted by Bill Reichenbach. These concerts will soon be held in North Carolina.