Artist Residency Program
Jazz St. Louis’ Artist Residency Program brings professional jazz artists and educators to St. Louis for an entire week. During that week, the artists travel throughout the metro area conducting masterclasses and clinics with groups of middle and high school musicians, performing for large groups of elementary students, and presenting concerts in the community. We have recently expanded the program to include virtual engagements that will increase the reach and accessibility of these great artists and educators. All residency weeks culminate with two nights of performances by the residency artists. These performances bring the week full circle and allow the community to experience these artists perform in our world-class venue.
Want our resident artists to visit you in the 2025 – 2026 school year?
During the ’25/26 program year, you can engage with our amazing lineup of residency artists by scheduling an in-person clinic or masterclass with one of these artists when they are in St. Louis. Current artists and dates listed below.
Buster Williams, Dawn Clement, & Matt Wilson
October 24 & 25, 2025
Buster Williams – Legendary bassist and cornerstone of modern jazz. Collaborated with Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Art Blakey, Chick Corea, Sarah Vaughan, and Sonny Rollins. His career spans performance, film/TV work (Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, The Tonight Show, The Grammy Awards). A Grammy nominee and NEA/NYFA grantee, Williams leads his acclaimed quartet Something More (est. 1990), touring internationally.
Dawn Clement – Pianist, vocalist, and composer recognized for her dynamic, genre-blending style. Leader on six albums and collaborator with Jane Ira Bloom, Ron Miles, Julian Priester, and Bill Frisell. Contributed to GRAMMY-winning vocal group säje. Serves as Associate Professor and Area Coordinator of Jazz and American Improvised Music at MSU Denver and Artistic Director of the Centrum Jazz Workshop. Based in Denver, active internationally as performer and educator.
Matt Wilson – Acclaimed New York drummer known for his joyful spirit, inventive artistry, and deep connection to jazz history. Has released 13 albums as a leader, including Honey and Salt and Beginning of a Memory (both 5-star DownBeat reviews). Appears on 400+ recordings with Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden, and Herbie Hancock. A dedicated educator and advocate for jazz accessibility worldwide.
Jazz at Lincoln Center Residency Ensemble, featuring Rodney Whitaker, Francisco Torres, and Chad Eby
February 6 & 7, 2025
Rodney Whitaker – Rodney Whitaker is an internationally renowned jazz bassist, educator, and Origin Records recording artist. He serves as Professor of Jazz Bass and Director of Jazz Studies at Michigan State University, where he has built one of the world’s leading jazz programs. A former member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and Wynton Marsalis’ Septet, Whitaker has touredglobally and performed with many of jazz’s most legendary artists. He has appeared on over 100 recordings, earned an Emmy nomination, and is widely respected as one of the foremost jazz double bass performers and teachers in the United States.
Francisco Torres – Francisco Torres is an arranger, composer, and educator. He serves as the musical director for Poncho Sanchez and is a longtime member of Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band, John Beasley’s Monkestra, and the Clare Fischer Big Band. Torres has appeared on multiple Grammy-winning recordings and has produced several Poncho Sanchez albums, earning numerous Grammy and Latin Grammy nominations. A highly sought-after sideman, he has performed and recorded with a wide range of legendary artists across jazz, Latin, pop, and film, while maintaining an active career as an educator, clinician, and commissioned composer.
Chad Eby – Chad Eby is a saxophonist, composer, arranger, and educator from Newhall, Iowa. He holds degrees from Luther College, the University of North Texas, and The Ohio State University, and has released several critically acclaimed albums, including Triptych, Broken Shadows, and The Sweet Shel Suite, praised by DownBeat magazine. A prolific arranger and composer, Eby has written over 125 arrangements and 50 original works performed by leading jazz artists and orchestras. Since 2006, he has taught in the Miles Davis Jazz Studies Program at UNC Greensboro, where he directs ensembles, teaches jazz studies, and was honored with the Outstanding Teaching Award.
Lewis Nash, Bruce Forman, Alphonso Horne & Clark Gibson
April 3 & 4, 2026
This Spring, an outstanding all-star group of renowned musicians, Lewis Nash, Bruce Forman, Alphonso Horne, and Clark Gibson, will join the Jazz St. Louis Residency Program. They will conduct workshops, clinics, and masterclasses that will engage the community and inspire students with their outstanding talent and jazz artistry.