Mike Dana

Bio submitted by Mike Dana
Mike Dana attended California State University, Fresno, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in 1975, and a Master’s degree in 1991 (both in music/composition.) He also attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, and studied privately with jazz guitar legend Joe Pass. He began his teaching career at the Roosevelt School of the Arts in Fresno, where he founded the first high school classical guitar program in central California. In 1990, he took over the position as Director of Jazz Studies at FCC. In 1999, he also assumed the duties of Department Chair.

David Aus

Bio submitted by David Aus

For David Aus, one of 90.7 KFSR’s Morning Jazz personalities, the music doesn’t stop when he leaves the radio studio at 9:00 a.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. In fact, many days, it’s just beginning for David. For in addition to his day job as a marketing writer with Pelco in Clovis, David is also one of the San Joaquin Valley’s most in-demand jazz pianists, and a significant personality in the local jazz scene.

David moved to Fresno in early 2002, after working as a management consultant in San Francisco during the dot com era. Before his time in the Bay Area, where he was active as a musician in a number of different contexts (from jazz to funk and beyond), David lived in the Washington D.C. area, and worked in economic consulting.

Armen Nalbandian

Bio submitted by Armen Nalbandian
Armen Nalbandian was born on April 6th, 1978 in Manchester, England to Armenian parents, Rafael and Aida. Armen Nalbandian’s love for music developed in a home with an array of diverse being played, ranging from Opera to Motown to Armenian music. By the age of 13, Armen had chosen the piano, and dedicated his life to Jazz music.

Mr. Nalbandian spent his high school years winning accolades and awards as both a featured soloist in the Clovis West Jazz Big Band and the first leader and founder of the small Jazz Ensemble (a first in the school’s history.) At the age of 16, Armen composed his ambitious first composition, an extended piece for a sextet entitled, The Dr. King Suite. In the spring of 1996, Armen premiered his first big band piece, Beloved, inspired by the Toni Morrison book of the same name. Armen was awarded the Louis Armstrong award for outstanding achievement by a high school jazz musician.

http://www.armennalbandian.com 

Dr. Michael Caldwell

Bio submitted by Michael Caldwell
Dr. Caldwell has been serving as Assistant Professor of Trumpet and Director of Jazz Bands "A" and "B" at California State University, Fresno, since Fall 2002. He is also the director of the Clendenin Brass Quintet. He previously served on the music faculty at the University of South Alabama (1991-1999) and is Past President of the California Institute for the Preservation of Jazz. He earned degrees from the University of Illinois (D.M.A. 1997; M.M. 1987), CSU Fresno (B.A., 1984) and Los Medanos College (A.A. 1982). He has performed as lead trumpet or soloist with many of the world's leading entertainers. He has also performed with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra and has performed on Public Radio International and the Family Channel. He recently performed at the 2005 International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE) conference in Long Beach, California, and served as an adjudicator for the International Trumpet Guild Jazz Solo Competition, held at the 2004 ITG Conference in Denver, Colorado. Dr. Caldwell was the Founder of the National Collegiate Jazz Festival (Mobile, AL) in 1994 and the Executive Director of the Mobile Jazz Festival from 1992-1995.