Joshua Davis was appointed as the Director of Jazz Studies in Fall 2022. Dr. Davis joined the Penn State music faculty in 2018 as a lecturer teaching classical
and jazz double bass and ensembles. Prior to his appointment as Penn State faculty, he was the Director of Jazz Studies at Susquehanna University (2006–2018) and at Towson University (2002–06). Before Towson, he was an awarded leader of curriculum development at Berklee College of Music where, as one of the youngest faculty members, he taught for six years. Joshua spent two years as a member of the faculty at the University of Maine at Augusta and has taught numerous performance skills clinics at USC, Berklee, Koyo Conservatory in Kobe, Japan, the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival, and various schools of all grades throughout the United States. MENC-affiliate work includes Maryland All-State Solo/Chamber adjudication, directing a District Jazz Ensemble (Tunkhannock, Pa.), and conference presentations about improvisation and other jazz performance skills at MMEA (MD), PMEA (PA), MD All-State Jazz, and VMEA (VT).
Internationally-acclaimed performances include concerts at the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, the National Concert Hall in Taiwan, Lincoln Center, Meyerhoff, the Blue Note Jakarta, Bimhuis Amsterdam, and Strathmore Hall. Internationally-recognized performances include televised concerts in Turkey with Randy Brecker, Sean Rickman, and Timucin Sahin, a U.S. Dept. of State-sponsored Armenia concert with Jerry Bergonzi and Vardan Ovsepian, and numerous other concerts with The Ritz, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, The Four Freshmen, Tim Miller, Ben Monder, Peter Erskine, Mark Ferber, Jordan Perlson, Sean Rickman, Marcello Pellitteri, Dan Weiss, Ted Poor, Ari Hoenig, Ole Mathisen, Jerry Bergonzi, Donny McCaslin, Taylor Haskins, Dave Ballou, Greg Hopkins, JD Walter, and many others.
Composer
Pictures of Your Next Decision, Joshua’s most recent commission for orchestra and double bass solo, premiered in November 2018 with the West Shore Symphony Orchestra in Camp Hill, Pa. Other recent commissions include Overflow and Convergent Mirrors, a one-hour program for Artichoke Dance Company’s concert series featuring double bass improvisation, and Ableton Live, R Trainversations, a choral work for Bella Voce Singers, and Partita Reflections, a four-movement contemporary reflection on Bach’s B minor Partita for Solo Violin, featuring improvising double bass and violin. Known Garden, his most recently released CD, features Joshua’s compositions played by contemporary jazz performers. Squashua, Joshua’s first feature recording as an arranger and leader, showcases Romantic Era symphonies and the music of Sting.
https://arts.psu.edu/directory/joshua-davis
Ronen Itzik joined the Penn State faculty in 2022 to teach drum set and jazz ensembles. He has since performed in some of the most prestigious concert halls and clubs in the world, such as The Village Vanguard, Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, Rose Hall at Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Blue Note (NYC), Smalls, Bimhuis (Amsterdam), A Train (Berlin), bFlat (Berlin), The JazzKeller (Frankfurt), Jazz at the Kitano, Iridium, Glenn Miller (Stockholm), Cornelia Street Café, Bar Next Door, The 55Bar, Fat Cat, and Joe’s Pub. He has also performed in numerous festivals around the world, including Red Sea Jazz Festival (Israel), Tel Aviv Jazz Festival (Israel), Ear Shot Festival (Seattle), Barranquijazz (Colombia), Festival de Jazz Teatro Libre (Colombia), Pasto Jazz Festival (Colombia), Brno Jazz Festival (Czech Republic), Alfa Jazz Festival (Ukraine), Vancouver Jazz Festival (Canada), Comblain La Tour Jazz Festival (Belgium), Universi Jazz (Spain), Brooklyn jazz Underground Festival, Queens Jazz Over Ground Festival, Chicago Israeli Jazz Festival, Chutzpah Festival (Vancouver), and Ashkenaz Festival (Toronto).
He has been mentioned in publications, including NPR, The New York Times, JAZZIZ, Jazz Improv, WBGO, All About Jazz, New York City Jazz Record, and About.com, as well as in the Israeli publications Maariv, Yediot, Haaretz and Jerusalem Post.
He has performed and recorded with such jazz greats as Lee Konitz, Gary Burton, Kenny Werner, Roy Hargrove, Joe Lovano, Marcus Roberts, Anat Cohen, Ben Monder, Hiromi Uehara, Arnie Lawrence, Alon Yavnai, Frank London, Wayne Escofferey, Billy Drewes, Johannes Weindermuller, Matt Penman, Francois Moutin, Tim Miller, Jon Cowherd, Marcus Printup, Vincent Gardner, Rich Perry, Harry Whitaker, Vardan Ovsepian, Longineu Parsons, Marcus Strickland, Eli Degibri, Ariel Zilber, and David Broza. His former teachers include Ian Froman, Jamey Hadad, Joe Hunt, John Hazilla, Marcus Roberts, Hal Crook, Yaaki Levi, and Eitan Itzkovich.
Ronen has appeared in albums from different labels, including Fresh Sound, Inner Circle, Jazz Family, Daywood Drive, Alessa Records, and Hatav Hashmini. Since his arrival in the U.S., Ronen has been an active member of numerous collaborations and bands, such as Morning Bound, Augmented Reality, Vadim Neselovskyi’s Agricultural Dreams Trio, The Tammy Scheffer Sextet, Josh Deutsch’s Pannonia, Juan Ospina Big Band, The Uri Gurvich Quartet, Josh Davis’ Love Salad, Moon Salutation, The Shay Salhov Trio, The Noa Fort Trio, The Tamuz Nissim Group, The Kat Vokes Group, The Bill Peterson Trio, The Jacob Teichroew Quintet, James Hall’s Thousand Rooms Quartet, The Assaf Kehati Trio, The Ori Dakari Quartet, and many more. He has established his reputation as one of the most sought-after drummers and in-demand recording artists in New York City.
Rick Hirsch joined the Penn State faculty in 2023 to teach jazz arranging. Rick Hirsch (b.1970) is an award-winning composer, arranger, and saxophonist who began his career as a personal music copyist for Bob Mintzer and Toshiko Akiyoshi. He has written music for jazz icons Yusef Lateef, Tito Puente, Eddie Henderson, and Chris Vadala; the Capitol Quartet; and school ensembles nationwide.
Hirsch’s music has been performed by the US Navy Commodores, the Birdland Big Band, the Sydney Jazz Orchestra and countless others around the world. Nearly one hundred of his works are published by Alfred Music, HirschMusic, FJH and others.
Hirsch is also known for his inspiring and easy-going teaching style. He has conducted All-State Jazz Bands in Maryland, Iowa and Delaware; and countless PMEA District Jazz Bands.
He has been in residence at the University of Kentucky, Penn State, Ithaca College, the University of Maryland, Bucknell University, the Marin School of the Arts, and dozens of other schools. And he maintains an active local teaching studio.
Hirsch is a graduate of UMass-Amherst (B.A. summa cum laude) and Northern Illinois University (M.M). His most influential teachers were Yusef Lateef, Lynn Klock, Jeff Holmes, Ron Modell, Boysie Lowery and Bill Byerly.
Hirsch lives in State College, PA with his wife (science writer Rebecca Hirsch) and their daughters.
Hirsch’s 2017 album Pocono Git-Down (Rick Hirsch’s Big Ol’ Band) is on all major streaming and download platforms.
https://www.rickhirschjazz.com/
Mark Lancaster Lusk currently teaches trombone at Penn State University. Prior to this, he performed with groups like the Woody Herman Thundering Herd, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Eastman Wind Ensemble, and the Chicago Contemporary Chamber Players. Lusk has performed around the world at jazz festivals in China, England, France, Finland, Germany, Italy, Malaysia and more. He has traveled to Argentina as an artist/clinician and was the first trombone soloist in the history of the Teatro Colon. He has also performed at the New York Brass Conference, the Eastern Trombone Workshop, and the International Trombone Workshop where he was invited to conduct the William Cramer Memorial Trombone Ensemble of College Professors. In the summer months, Lusk is a member of the faculty at the Cleveland Trombone Seminar, the Interlochen Trombone and Tuba Institute, and the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp as a Valade Fellow instructor.
https://arts.psu.edu/directory/mark-lusk
Saxophonist David Stambler has established himself as a dynamic and active performer of both jazz and classical music. His concert activities include recitals and appearances with many orchestras including the Annapolis Symphony, the National Gallery Orchestra, and the Baltimore Symphony. He has performed internationally in multiple countries, and has appeared across the United States with the renowned saxophone ensemble, the Capitol Quartet. Stambler is an advocate for new compositions for saxophone, and has premiered numerous works including Five Portraits by Jonathan Leshnoff,Still the Fire by John Anthony Lennon, and many others. He has appeared at the JVC Jazz festival, the Princeton Jazz Fest, the Smithsonian Institution, Carnegie Hall and others, and has accompanied many renowned performers including Rosemary Clooney Smokey Robinson, and Natalie Cole. Stambler holds a B.Mus from the University of Michigan a master’s degree from the Peabody Institute, and a doctorate from the University of Maryland.
https://arts.psu.edu/directory/david-b-stambler
https://www.davidstambler.com/Home.html
MacKinlay Himes has been both a performing jazz guitarist and guitar teacher for over 15 years in the central Pennsylvania area. He has most notably played in the Rick Hirsch 4 and the Dan Yoder Quartet as well as his own trio. Mac is a Ph.D. candidate in Music Education at the Penn State School of Music. He received a Masters in music composition from Penn State and B.A. in music from John’s Hopkins University’s Peabody Institute. Mac has also been a faculty member at the School of Music for 10 years directing jazz ensembles, teaching jazz guitar as well as an online jazz history course and guitar methods. Himes also teaches guitar at The Music Academy in State College, PA.
Dr. Daniel S. Isbell has been an Associate Professor and Head of Music Education at Louisiana State University and an Associate Professor and Chair of Music Education at Ithaca College. He has taught a wide variety of undergraduate and graduate courses in music education and research. Prior to teaching in higher education, he was the Director of Jazz Studies at the Boulder Arts Academy, Director of Instrumental Music in the Steamboat Springs (CO) School District, and Director of Instrumental Music for the Otselic (NY) School District. He has also been a Visiting Fellow at the Institute of Education, University of London (UK), and a Visiting Researcher at the Paul R. Judy Center for Applied Research, University of Rochester (NY). Dr. Isbell was selected as a Louisiana State University Learning and Teaching Collaborative Fellow and received the Ithaca College London Center teaching sabbatical award.
Dr. Isbell’s scholarship has focused on occupational identity, the socialization of music teachers, and popular music pedagogy. He has published in a range of journals, authored multiple book chapters, and shared his research with audiences throughout the United States and abroad. Dr. Isbell is the recipient of the Outstanding Dissertation Award from the Council for Research in Music Education (CRME), the Society for Education, Music, and Psychology (SEMPRE) Conference Research Award, and the Emerging Researcher Award from Music Education Research International (MERI). His contributions to popular music pedagogy have been recognized with a Modern Band Higher Education Fellowship from MusicWill.
Dr. Isbell has an established career as a trumpet player, performing in a variety of settings and styles. He has played trumpet with the Henry Mancini Orchestra, La Candela Salsa Band, and the DK Harrell Blues Band. He is a former member of the Swamp College Brass Quintet, Steamboat Springs Jazz Quartet, Kanni!Ko! African drum and dance ensemble, Flashback, Steamboat Springs Chamber Orchestra, and the Pikes Peak Philharmonic. Dr. Isbell enjoys camping and hiking, mountain bike riding, traveling, and spending time with his wife Ann Marie, and sons Scott and Charlie.
https://arts.psu.edu/directory/daniel-isbell
Elizabeth Webb has been performing professionally for nearly a decade. In addition to her local work with her Duo, she also has appeared at Jazz at the Palmer, Jazz in the Attic at the State Theatre, Pine Grove Hall, various festivals, and with the Zeropoint Big Band.
Elizabeth made her New York City debut in March 2019, performing at Birdland Theatre in Manhattan, The Triad Theatre in Manhattan, and has returned to Birdland many times since then including as a featured soloist in THE LINEUP: Broadway’s Variety Show!. Her musical partnership with noted jazz pianist John Colianni and his bands has resulted in several recordings of jazz standards and a mainstage performance at the State Theatre in June 2022. She has studied with Peter Eldridge of The New York Voices and jazz writer and educator Phil Matson.
Gabriel Herrera is a 1st year MM candidate from State College, PA majoring in trombone performance and serving as a graduate assistant for the jazz department. He graduated with departmental honors in music from Columbia University, where he studied trombone with David Gibson. Herrera has had the pleasure of sharing the stage with notable musicians such as Emmet Cohen, Terri Lyne Carrington, and Craig Taborn in addition to performing at venues including the Montreux Jazz Festival, Shapeshifter Lab, and Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall.
At Penn State, Herrera co-directs Inner Dimensions, coaches jazz combos, directs Slide Dimensions, and teaches private lessons while also performing with the Philharmonic Orchestra, Centre Dimensions, and Trombone Choir. He is also active on the Pennsylvania music scene, gigging frequently with his jazz quartet in addition to performing with Zeropoint Big Band, the Pennsylvania Chamber Orchestra, and Nittany Valley Symphony.
https://www.gabrielherreramusic.com/
Alex Mijangos is a 1st year MM candidate studying bass performance and serving as a graduate assistant for the jazz department. With experience performing in diverse genres such as jazz, rock, latin, reggae, and classical, he has been lauded as a “young promise of international bass playing” by Cuban-born piano master Daniel Herrera.
At Penn State, Mijangos is a co-director of Inner Dimensions big band, coach for jazz combos, and private jazz lesson teacher while also performing with the Philharmonic Orchestra. Mijangos gigs regularly in the area with a variety of ensembles, cementing himself as a hallmark of the central Pennsylvania music scene.