our team

RIZA PRINTUP •

President & Founder

Jazz harpist, composer and arranger Riza Printup has always had a special place in her heart for education. In addition to performing and/or recording with the likes of husband Marcus Printup, Paquito D'Rivera, Kenny Werner, the Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra, Yo-Yo Ma, Lady Gaga and Kathleen Battle, she continues her work as an Educator.

Ms. Printup taught early childhood music and directed the orchestra program at The Greater Atlanta Christian School and later led the string program at The Cicely Tyson School of Performing Arts.

Riza’s passion for education has taken her to develop I Have A Song Inside My Heart ™, a program and curriculum for early childhood and the K-5 General Music classroom as well as author her first two children's books, Theodore and Hazel and the Bird and The Great Big Spider & The Waterspout Blues. She has partnered with organizations such as The Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, WBGO, Jazz At Lincoln Center, Midori & Friends, New Jersey Central Jazz Association and Jazz House Kids in engaging students throughout surrounding communities.

Riza began her undergraduate studies at the Indiana University School of Music under the instruction of Susan McDonald, Linda Wood and Beverly Wesner-Hoehn, and in time pursued studies in Jazz with Professor of Jazz, David Baker. She received her Bachelors of Arts in Music from Columbia College, Chicago, IL where she continued her studies in Jazz and later completed coursework toward a Master of Music from Georgia State University's School of Music under the tutelage of Elisabeth Remy Johnson. Other instructors include Dominique Piana and Stella Castellucci.

 

MARCUS PRINTUP •

Vice President & Co-Founder

A twenty seven year member of the Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra in New York City, Marcus Printup attributes his first musical experiences hearing the fiery gospel music his parents sang at their home church, the Peeks Chapel Baptist Church in Conyers, GA.

In 1991 Mr. Printup’s life changed when he met his mentor, the great pianist Marcus Roberts. Roberts introduced him to Wynton Marsalis, which led to Mr. Printup’s induction into the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra in 1993.

As a solo artist, Mr. Printup has led multiple recordings on several major record labels:

  • BLUE NOTE RECORDS: Song for the Beautiful Woman, Unveiled, Hub Songs, Nocturnal Traces

  • NAGEL HEYER RECORDS: The New Boogaloo

  • STEEPLECHASE RECORDS: Peace In The Abstract, Bird of Paradise, London Lullaby, Ballads All Night, A Time for Love, Homage, Desire, Lost, Young Bloods, Gentle Rain

Mr. Printup has recorded with Betty Carter, Dianne Reeves, Eric Reed, Madeline Peyroux, Ted Nash, Cyrus Chestnut, Wycliffe Gordon, and Marcus Roberts, among others.

Mr. Printup is highly sought out as an Educator and is regularly called upon to facilitate clinics and masterclasses. He is involved with programs such as JALC's Essentially Ellington Competition/Festival, JALC’s Swing University, Savannah Music Festival’s Swing Central Jazz, The International Trumpet Guild, Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead at the Kennedy Center and The New School (Manhattan). In 2019, Mr. Printup joined Montclair State University as Adjunct Professor of Jazz Trumpet.

 

LAURA DAHL •

Academic Consultant

Laura holds a Bachelors Degree in Special Education from Illinois State University, a Masters Degree in Music Education from Northern Illinois University and a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership from Concordia University Chicago.  She studied Suzuki piano with Marilyn Montzka (Northern Illinois University Suzuki program) and Early Childhood Music with Dr. Beth Bolton (Temple University).  Laura has received training in the WeBop Curriculum with Dr. Lori Custodero (Teachers College Columbia University) and in the summer of 2018, Laura completed her Orff-Schulwerk Certification with Jean Hersey (Vandercook College of Music).

Laura lives in Brookfield, Illinois with her husband, Mark and two daughters.

 

REGINA CARTER • Advisory Board

 

MICHELE WRIGHT • Advisory Board

 

TRIXIE HIDALGO • Advisory Board

 

LIESA TOMSEN • Advisory Board

 

RAQUEL JACKSON • Advisory Board