Zachary Bartholomew: Balancing Act!

Dr. Zachary Bartholomew is an award-winning pianist, composer, and music educator who maintains a highly active performance career as one of the most heavily sought-after pianists, accompanists, and sidemen in all of Florida. In both 2016 and 2017, he placed as one of the top three finalists in the highly acclaimed Jacksonville Jazz Piano Competition and every year since 2021 has been awarded the prestigious “Artist Performance on Tour'' grant from the state of Florida for his “Jazz Access Tour,” an outreach program that aims to provide underserved communities and schools in Florida with world-class public performances and educational programs. 

Zach has headlined at some of the top jazz venues and performing arts centers in the country and has been featured at national and international jazz festivals including the Jacksonville Jazz Festival, St. Petersburg Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Jalisco Jazz Festival, and Festival Miami. He has performed with artists such as Sean Jones, Victor Goines, Dave Holland, David Liebman, Ira Sullivan, Carmen Bradford, Byron Stripling, and Dan Miller. Additionally, he is a full-time music professor at Florida Memorial University, a Resident Artist at Arts Bonita, the pianist for the Gulf Coast Jazz Collective, and performs regularly with professional organizations such as the Sarasota Pops Orchestra, Naples Philharmonic, and the Lake Wales Jazz Connection. 

By age 32, Emmy-nominated Trumpeter and Vocalist Benny Benack III has already become a leading voice in Jazz for his generation. He has crooned his way to millions of listeners alongside groups such as the Grammy-winning “8-Bit Big Band” and YouTube sensation “Postmodern Jukebox”. His double-threat credentials were first apparent when he was a finalist in the Thelonious Monk Competition on trumpet, and then won Third Place in the 2021 Sarah Vaughan Vocal Competition, but his status as a leading voice on both was recently cemented in the 2022 Downbeat Magazine Critics Poll, where he appeared in two categories: The #2 Rising Star Male Vocalist and #15 Rising Star Trumpet.

His global recognition has been bolstered by the recent advent of live-streaming concerts, both through his weekly residency at Smalls Jazz Club, as well as frequent appearances at fellow young lion Emmet Cohen’s “Emmet’s Place” online series. He has emerged from the pandemic as one of the most in-demand touring artists in the Jazz world, headlining clubs and festivals internationally with his unique brand of indefatigable panache on full-display wherever the music takes him next.

Grammy and Latin Grammy award winner David Fernandez began his career as a jazz musician in Miami,Fl. He earned an invitation to New York to perform with the McDonald’s All-American High School Band his senior year. He also won an honorable mention from Downbeat Magazine for best high school performer, and won first place for Best Original Composition.

David began his career touring with latin pop-star Chayanne. Along the way, he has toured with such artists as Jon Secada, Gloria Estefan, Darryl Tookes, and K.C. and the Sunshine Band. He has shared the stage with Joe Henderson, Paquito D’ Rivera, Randy Brecker, Kenny Werner, Gerry Mulligan, Bob Minzer, Arturo Sandoval, Willy Chirino, Nestor Torres, Rafael, The O.J.’s, The Funk Brothers, Peabo Bryson, Nate

Smith, Ignacio Berroa, Patti Austin, Queen Latifa, The Tramps, and Jim Belushi. He currently has 11 projects released as a leader and has served as Professor of Saxophones at MDC Wolfson, MDC-Kendall, MDC West, Barry University, and FIU. Recently, David finished a two year stint on the musical, On Your Feet, in New York City and now serves as Academic Coordinator in Support of Student Services at The Wertheim FIU School of Music.

Marty Quinn’s attention to detail and understanding of groove lands him among Miami’s most sought after bassists. Quinn thrives in an array of genres, frequently performing with artists Abstract Citizen, Nicole Henry, Mark Small, and Cannibal Kids. He is currently on faculty as lecturer in contemporary bass at The University of Miami.

Drummer and composer Rodolfo Zuniga is Co-Director of Jazz Studies at Cal State University Fullerton and a nationally sought-after sideman and educator. He has shared the stage with Gary Campbell, Bill Cunliffe, Ira Sullivan, Bill Mays, Stephen Scott, Randy Brecker, Benny Golson, and Slide Hampton, to name a few. In addition, Rodolfo is the drummer for multi-Grammy award winner and best-selling Latin Pop artist Julio Iglesias and is a proud Zildjian Cymbals and Vic Firth Sticks endorser.