Jazz has a long and rich history in Baltimore and at the Peabody Conservatory, where the Jazz Studies Department was founded in 2001.

Today, Peabody Jazz emphasizes experiential learning and connects you to a network of active and respected performers, both on the faculty and in the worldwide jazz community. Classroom and studio instruction are augmented with real-world opportunities in a variety of settings and local venues. And your jazz coursework and lessons are part of a curriculum that crosses artistic boundaries and equips you with the skills to navigate today’s professional landscape.

Guest and visiting artists in recent years have included Alex Brown, Benny Golson, Wycliffe Gordon, and Branford Marsalis. Over the years, jazz greats including John Abercrombie, Tim Berne, Terri Lyne Carrington, Dennis Chambers, George Colligan, Marc Copland, Peter Erskine, Jerry Granelli, Andre Hayward, Conrad Herwig, Tim Miller, John Patitucci, Rufus Reid, Sam Rivers, David Samuels, Lynn Seaton, Marcus Strickland, Miroslav Vitous, Steve Wilson, and Peabody alumnus Dontae Winslow have visited Peabody Jazz.

Current students and alumni of Peabody Jazz maintain active schedules as performers and educators, working frequently in Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia, and New York, as well as internationally. Alumni activities of special note include collaborations with Roy Hargrove and Nnenna Freelon, the Music Center at Strathmore’s Artist in Residence Program, Buffet Crampon USA Performing Artists, Inner Circle Music Recording Artists, and faculty appointments at Peabody, the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, and the University of Tartu.

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Faculty

Sean Jones

Richard and Elizabeth Case Chair
The young jazz veteran trumpeter Sean Jones believes passionately in championing the creative arc of artists who are committed to their life journey.

Nasar Abadey

Drummer and composer Nasar Abadey is the founder, leader, and driving force of SUPERNOVA®. This band performs music from the threshold of Jazz to beyond space and time, while having an artistic license to express their compositions through traditional African rhythms, bebop, fusion, Afro-Cuban, Afro Brazilian, modal, and free form.

Alex Brown

GRAMMY award-winning pianist and composer Alex Brown is at the forefront of a new generation of artists. The New York Times says he plays “with a crystalline touch and a worldly approach.”

Kristopher Funn

Kristopher Funn was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. After graduating with an honors degree in computer science, Funn decided to pursue a career as a professional jazz musician, performing in several venues in the Baltimore/Washington metropolitan areas.

Tim Green

Forging a deeply personal sound from a broad swath of the jazz landscape, internationally acclaimed saxophonist, educator, composer, and arranger Tim Green has emerged as a powerful voice, melding deftly swinging hard bop, fluid modernity, and soulful gospel.

Richard D. Johnson

Born in Pittsburgh – home to jazz greats Art Blakey, Ray Brown, Jeff “Tain” Watts, and Ahmad Jamal – Richard D. Johnson has strong territorial jazz roots. He was first introduced to the piano at the age of 5 by his father, a gospel pianist from Baltimore.

Allison Miller

A lauded drummer who’s mastered a vast array of musical settings–from guesting on late night TV, keeping time for some of today’s most beloved singer-songwriters, and being a renowned bandleader/composer in her own right–Allison Miller is always at the heart of the music.

Javier Nero

Dr. Javier Nero is a jazz trombonist, composer, arranger, and educator whose musicianship has received significant recognition.

Marvin Sewell

Marvin Sewell is a New York-based blues and jazz guitarist, born and raised in Chicago where he attended the Chicago Musical College at Roosevelt University.

Fran Vielma

Fran Vielma, born in Venezuela, is a critically acclaimed and award-winning multi-percussionist, composer, and educator. His extensive knowledge of rhythms from the Caribbean, Venezuela, South America, and beyond is integrated with his attraction to concert music and the freedom of jazz.

Charenée Wade

First Runner-Up in the 2010 Thelonious Monk International Vocal Competition, Charenée Wade is a notable singer, composer, arranger and educator who received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in jazz performance from the Manhattan School of Music.

Warren Wolf

Warren Wolf is a multi-instrumentalist who lives in Baltimore. As a youth, Warren attended the Peabody Preparatory where he studied with former Baltimore Symphony Member Leo LePage.