Multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and composer Amanda Ekery is based in New York City and creates music filled with imagery and strong narratives. Her work has earned support from New Music USA, Chamber Music America, and the Jerome Foundation, has been featured at the Portland Jazz Festival, Panama Jazz Festival, and The Kennedy Center, and spans Off-Broadway theater, film, and studio recordings. Amanda’s 2018 album “Keys With No Purpose,” and her most recent album, “Some (more) Short Songs,” released in 2021 were praised in Downbeat Magazine saying, “her compositions are great” and “full of moments of amazingness.”

She was awarded the 2022 Jazz Hero Award from the Jazz Journalist Association for her dedication to gender equity work with El Paso Jazz Girls. Learn more at www.aekerymusic.com

Description goes Amy Smith is a nationally recognized performer and educator. As a member of the percussion group, Caixa Trio she has performed in France, Puerto Rico, South Korea, Mexico and Brazil. Amy was the national winner of the 1996 MTNA Collegiate Percussion Competition and a member of the 1994 Crossmen Drum and Bugle Corps. Learn more at www.caixatrio.com

Beau Tredway has been an avid jazz appreciator for years. She played jazz piano all through high school and currently attends UTEP pursuing a music degree and is an El Paso Jazz Girls alum. She loves to write, arrange, record, and play music with friends, and has started releasing songs under the alias Cosmonaut Beau. She’s thrilled to help with El Paso Jazz Girls, and hopes these students have a positive experience.

Brittany Tawater is a musician, artist and educator based in El Paso, TX. Currently, she is a clarinetist with the 1st Armored Division Band at Fort Bliss.

Prior to coming to enlisting in the army she was the University Band Coordinator for Schreiner University (Kerrville, TX), an Instructor for Tarrant County College (Hurst, TX) and Hardin Simmons University (Abilene, TX), and Band Director for Silsbee ISD (Silsbee, TX) and Abilene ISD (Abilene, TX). Her professional affiliations include Texas Music Educators Association, International Clarinet Association, and Percussive Arts Society.

She is actively continuing her studies as a vocalist, flutist, and percussionist, and plays with the El Paso based “Samba Alma de Fogo”. In her spare time she enjoys traveling, drawing and drinking coffee.

Carmen Salas is currently studying Music Education at The University of Texas at El Paso. Carmen has been playing the saxophone for ten years and has had the privilege of performing with The Marching Miners, the UTEP Pep Band, the Symphonic Band, the Concert Band, the Wind Ensemble, Jazz II, Jazz I and various chamber ensembles. Carmen has also held various leadership positions including, principle saxophonist in the Symphonic Band, Drum Major and Undergraduate Assistant in the Marching Miners. During her time with the UTEP Jazz I ensemble, Carmen was awarded the Michael Bustillos Scholarship and recently performed at the 2023 TMEA Convention with the UTEP Jazz I ensemble.

Chantal Camus is a bassist, vocalist, and composer from El Paso, Texas. She is studying Commercial Music at The University of Texas at El Paso as a double bassist. Has been an alum at El Paso Jazz Girls, Jazz House Kids, and El Paso Youth Jazz Ensemble. Recently, she has been songwriting and releasing music of her own in all music platforms. 

Danika is a cellist, El Paso Jazz Girls alum, and entering her second-year student at UTEP getting a degree in biomedical sciences. Even though she hopes to pursue dentistry, she is still very passionate about music and has continued to play the cello and take music classes in college.

Flora Newberry started playing trumpet in her elementary school band program at age 8 in Oak Park, Illinois, in 1974. From 1978-1983 she studied privately with Mario O’neglia, professor at Montclair State College, in Montclair, NJ. Throughout high school she expanded her studies to include classical and jazz piano, and began attending jazz classes at Jazzmobile in New York City.  She studied orchestral trumpet at the Juilliard school, earning her Bachelor’s degree in trumpet in  1987. From 1988 to 1990 she was Principal Trumpet of the Orquesta Sinfonica de la Universidad de Guanajuato, in Guanajuato, Mexico. From 1991 to 1993 pursued Jazz studies at William Paterson College. After a 20 year career of teaching and freelancing in the New York/New Jersey/Philadelphia area, she moved to El Paso to pursue her Masters degree in Music Education at UTEP. She currently teaches Elementary Music at Montana Vista Elementary in the Clint ISD. She currently enjoys playing many different styles of music including classical, jazz, and rock, and also writes and performs her own songs.

Jhoely Garay is a New York City-based guitarist, composer, arranger and educator from Mexico City, Mexico, whose music expresses her passion for straight-ahead swing, contemporary jazz, and musics and rhythms from Latin America.

Garay has collaborated with iconic artists such as Steve Wilson, Darcy James Argue, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Peter Bernstein, Rogerio Boccato; and her work has been presented in venues like The National Jazz Museum in Harlem, The Public Theater, The Clemente Soto Cultural Center, The Stone, The Metropolitan Museum, and and at Carnegie Hall.

Garay is a Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation Ambassador, a Landesmusikrat Berlin Commission awardee, ASCAP Fran Morgenstern Composition awardee, awardee of the National Fund for Culture and the Arts in Mexico. She holds a Bachelor's in jazz guitar performance from The City College of New York and a Master’s in composition from the Manhattan School of Music. www.jhoelygaray.com

​​Dr. Joyce Hsu is an in-demand trombonist, clinician, and teacher. A Native of Taiwan, she earned her BFA from National Taiwan University of Arts, her Master’s Degree from Oklahoma State, and her Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from Texas Tech University. She is currently a freelance trombonist, teacher, and Assistant Director of the El Paso Youth Jazz Ensemble.

Luisa Navarro also known as Luisa Houseworks, DJ Luisa, boasts an impressive career as a DJ, Live Act, Creative Studio owner and Music Producer. Originally from Jalisco but now based in El Paso, Texas, Luisa has over 9 years of experience as a disc jockey and has the ability to captivate diverse audiences with her musical prowess that transcends various genres. Throughout her career, Luisa has collaborated with top brands such as Adidas and has had the privilege of sharing the stage with both local and international music acts, enabling her to establish new connections across the United States. She has also released electronic dance music on several labels and is a recognized independent artist with tracks available on Beatport and Bandcamp. In addition to her musical endeavors, Luisa serves as the podcast manager for the global network female:pressure and currently holds internet radio residencies in the UK and Berlin. She is also actively involved in Beanalog, a project that promotes music education and community engagement. With her impressive track record and diverse experience, Luisa Houseworks is a force to be reckoned with in the music industry.

Monica is a fantastic vocalist and educator and veteran El Paso jazz artist. She regularly performs throughout El Paso and Las Cruses and is an in-demand studio musician for various projects in the area. Monica is a graduate of UTEP and currently the choir director at Riverside High School and has earned the Ysleta School District Excellence Award for her years of service to music education.

Hailing from El Paso, the PIE Sisters, also known as "PIE," have spent the past few years crafting their own unique sound in the music scene of West Texas. With a blend of R&B, soul, and lyricism they have become a celebrated fixture in El Paso’s music community, captivating audiences with renditions of timeless classics and their heartfelt original compositions. Their authentic passion for songwriting, undeniable family charisma, and harmonious performances create an unforgettable experience that resonates deeply with listeners.

Born and raised in El Paso, Texas, Sarah attended Eastwood high school where she studied under Art Avila and Brian  Andrade. Currently a music education major at Texas A&M University Commerce(TAMUC), studying under Dr. Brian Zator, she’s been playing percussion for eight years. Through my time at TAMUC, she has been involved in percussion ensembles, brass choir, steel band, Brazilian band, as well as concert ensembles. Sarah has been involved in Drum Corps International for the past three summers at Academy Drum & Bugle Corps in 2015, Crossmen Drum and Bugle Corps in 2016-2017, and has been given the opportunity to perform with the Concord Blue Devils this summer.

During her time at TAMUC she worked at the Campus Recreation Center and has been offered a teaching position at Paris High School for the Fall 2018 marching season and 2019 WGI season.

Stephanie Munoz, an El Paso native, is a phenomenal saxophonist and teaching artist. She currently teaches for the Boston Public School District, the Metropolitan Opera Guild, and is passionate about sharing music.