2027 Winter Workshop Presenters

Meet the Voices Behind the Workshop

Dominique Eade

Poetic and passionate, American vocalist, composer and improviser Dominique Eade blends musical virtuosity with a songwriter’s straightforward emotional sensibility, creating music that has garnered critical acclaim, inspired audiences, and served as a creative signpost for generations of singers. The New York Times called Eade “an exceptional singer” with a “wide vocal range and a grasp on the intricacies of style,” one “who weighs a chanteuse’s coolness against a jazz musician’s exploratory instincts.” The Atlantic Monthly recognized Eade for her “rich voice and effortless delivery” while the Boston Phoenix called her music “sublime and daring.” Eade’s performances throughout the United States, Latin America and Europe include the Buenos Aires Jazz Festival, the Bell Atlantic Jazz Festival, Mountain Stage, the Rigas Ritmi Jazz Festival, the Panama Jazz Festival, the Molde International Jazz Festival, and the What is Jazz Festival, and clubs such as Los Angeles’ The Jazz Bakery, New York’s The Blue Note, The Five Spot and The Jazz Standard, D.C.’s Jazz Alley and Boston’s RegattaBar. Eade was signed to RCA Victor in 1998, recording with jazz luminaries Dave Holland, Victor Lewis and Benny Golson.

Deemed “a fearless collaborator” by pianist Fred Hersch, Eade’s musical associations have ranged from Alan Dawson and Stanley Cowell to MacArthur grant recipients Ran Blake and Anthony Braxton. In 2017, NPR Critic Nate Chinen listed Blake and Eade’s performance of music from their critically acclaimed Town andCountry (Sunnyside) at New York’s Park Avenue Armory as one of the Top Ten Jazz Performances of the year. Eade has recorded and co-produced 7 CD’s under her name, landing her on top ten lists at Billboard, NPR, Entertainment Weekly, DownBeat magazine, the Jazz Journalist Association, and elsewhere. Appearing as a guest in jazz and contemporary classical ensembles including the Either Orchestra and Boston Musica Viva, Eade is the featured vocalist on the 2020 Dave Douglas/Elan Mehler album, If There Are Mountains (Newvelle). Eade was nominated for Best Debut Artist in the 1998 First Annual Jazz Awards in New York City, and received the 2006 Outstanding Alumni Award at New England Conservatory, where as a teacher for over 3 decades, she has mentored an array of talented musicians including Roberta Gambarini, Michael Mayo, Rachel Price, Sofia Rei, Jorge Roeder, Sara Serpa, Sarah Jarosz, Darynn Dean, Luciana Souza, Akenya Seymour, Jo Lawry, Aoife O’Donovan, and many others.

Alexis Davis Hazell & Earl Hazell

Native New Yorker Earl Hazell is a performing artist whose multifaceted career bridges opera, literature, and modern jazz. He has performed leading roles in musical theatre and opera, including numerous productions of Porgy and Bess across the United States and Europe. Trained in acting by Hal DeWindt, classical voice by Dr. Robert White, and jazz composition and arranging by Jimmy Heath and Donald Byrd, he is the founder of Jazzoperetry Inc., a production company dedicated to integrating jazz, opera, and spoken word into one cohesive performance art.

Alexis Davis-Hazell is a GRAMMY™-winning artist whose career spans symphonic, operatic, and festival performances, including over 130 performances of Porgy and Bess in international venues. She serves as Assistant Director of Undergraduate Studies at the University of Alabama School of Music. Her research interests include diction pedagogy, vocal literature by African American women composers, and the intersection of Blackface Minstrelsy and contemporary voice performance practice.

Marci Rosenberg

Marci Rosenberg is a singer, speech-language pathologist, clinical singing voice rehabilitation specialist (SVRS-SLP), and co-author of The Vocal Athlete and its companion workbook, now in their third editions. She earned her degree in vocal performance from Peabody Conservatory before completing her Master's in speech-language pathology.

Kevin Wilson

Kevin Wilson is a Professor of Voice/Director of Vocal Pedagogy at the Wanda Bass School of Music, Oklahoma City University, where he teaches voice and vocal pedagogy and is the creator and director of the annual Vocal Pedagogy and Vocology Intensive. Previously, he spent sixteen years at the Boston Conservatory, where he established two graduate programs in vocal pedagogy and created the Vocal Pedagogy Professional Workshop. His students have performed on Broadway, at the Metropolitan Opera, and in major national competitions, earning top honors and industry awards. Mr. Wilson is a sought-after clinician, adjudicator, and lecturer, presenting at leading institutions and conferences worldwide. He has published in respected journals and books, serves as the Vice President of Workshops for NATS, and is on the editorial board for the JOS.

Liz Johnson

PAVA Recognized Vocologist (PAVA-RV) Liz Johnson specializes in functional voice work informed by vocology, neuroscience, jazz musicianship, and pedagogy. She earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Illinois, a Master of Music from Belmont University, and a Certificate in Vocology through the National Center for Voice and Speech (NCVS). A jazz musician who grew up improvising and playing saxophone, Liz was Vanderbilt University's first Jazz Voice Faculty member (2004–2016). She served on the faculty of the Nashville Jazz Workshop for 21 years and continues to teach and co-direct the Jazz Set Weekend Intensives for Singers in Nashville. Liz maintains a private voice studio, has co-edited three books since 2024, and serves on the Board of Directors for the NCVS and the Ethics Committee for PAVA.

Kanisha Kellum

Kanisha Kellum is a musical theatre voice professor, performer, and educator specializing in musical theatre, commercial music, and culturally informed vocal pedagogy and performance. She earned her MFA in Musical Theatre Vocal Pedagogy from Boston Conservatory at Berklee in 2025, where her graduate research examined the Black experience in musical theatre education, with a focus on representation, belonging, and bias affecting both singers and voice teachers. Kanisha currently serves as Assistant Professor of Vocal Performance and Pedagogy at Western Carolina University. Her scholarly interests include Black vocal aesthetics across genres, the Black experience in music and theatre, contemporary musical theatre pedagogy, and Black diasporic performance traditions. Through her teaching and research, she advocates for stylistically informed, culturally aware approaches to contemporary voice training and musical theatre education.

Ollie Watts-Davis

Dr. Ollie Watts Davis is the Suzanne and William Allen Distinguished Professor in Music and the Associate Dean for Academic Programs in the College of Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Davis is a University Scholar, founder of the Black Sacred Music Symposium, conductor of the award-winning Black Chorus, and recipient of multiple teaching and leadership awards, including the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the Central Region Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. A celebrated artist, she made her New York debut at Carnegie Hall; has released four recordings, is featured on two PBS documentaries, and has performed throughout the Americas, Africa, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Davis holds a D.M.A. and M.M. from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, an M.A. from West Virginia University, and a Bachelor of Science from West Virginia Institute of Technology, where she was named Alumna of the Year.

Lara & Robert Brooks

Dr. Lara Brooks is a dynamic soprano recognized for her captivating stage presence and versatility in opera, musical theatre, jazz, and contemporary music. She has garnered acclaim for performances as Rosalie Mullins in School of Rock, Mabel in Pirates of Penzance, Mother in Ragtime, and Tytania in Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream. As a contemporary voice specialist, Dr. Brooks advances vocal pedagogy through workshops and presentations on flexible voice technique and cross-training. She has presented at the International Congress of Voice Teachers, NATS, Estill World Voice Symposium, the National Opera Association, the Illinois Music Educators Conference, Michigan Music Conference, The World Saxophone Congress, and the Jazz Education Network. Dr. Brooks is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Voice at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Jazz Studies, Voice, & a Masters of Music in Vocal Performance & Literature. She is also a certified Estill Mentor and Course Instructor-Candidate®.

Dr. Robert Brooks is a jazz saxophonist, woodwind doubler, composer, and educator dedicated to cultivating the tradition of jazz education. He serves as associated faculty in Jazz Studies at The Ohio State University, where he teaches jazz saxophone and improvisation. He holds a DMA and MM from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a BM from Central Michigan University. His recordings, Accidental Nomad and New Standard Duo on Ropeadope Records, have received critical acclaim. As a performer, he has toured with Reginald Chapman's Pressure Fit, Sun Stereo, and the World Famous Glenn Miller Orchestra, and has performed with artists including Bob Mintzer, Bobby Shew, Jim Rupp, Tom "Bones" Malone, and the Temptations. Dr. Brooks is also co-founder of The Sax & Serenade Duo, an innovative collaboration blending jazz saxophone with classical and contemporary voice. He proudly endorses P. Mauriat, Silverstein Works, SYOS Mouthpieces, and Key Leaves.

Alison Crockett

Alison Crockett is a vocalist, recording artist, and educator, a cultural steward of Black American Music (BAM). She is an Associate Professor of Music at Shenandoah University, teaching Black American musical vocal styles and pedagogy in the CCM Masters and Doctoral Vocal Pedagogy program. Alongside academic work, Alison maintains a vibrant performing life. She has released seven albums and EPs, including the chart topping "On Becoming a Woman" and Wammie Award winning "Echoes of an Era Redux". She has toured with the Hip Hop Jazz group US3 and as an independent artist, and was part of the 90s neo soul movement with King Britt and Sylk 130 on "When the Funk Hits the Fan." As Executive Director of Generations of Vocal Jazz, Alison presents clinics, masterclasses, and workshops through the BAM Vocal Toolkit for singers of all ages. She previously served as Music Director of Capital City Voices, an adult community based jazz choir.

Zoe Leger

Zoe Leger is a Halifax-based vocalist, pianist, educator, and vocal pedagogue specializing in contemporary commercial music and evidence-based voice training. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies (Vocal Performance) from St. Francis Xavier University and a Master of Music in Jazz Composition from Birmingham City University (UK). Zoe teaches at St. Francis Xavier University, Dalhousie University’s Fountain School of Performing Arts, and Nova Scotia Community College, where she works with singers across jazz, classical, musical theatre, and contemporary styles. She is the founder and director of the Atlantic Contemporary Vocal Institute, an organization that provides advanced training opportunities for contemporary singers in Atlantic Canada. Drawing from her experience as both performer and educator, Zoe’s work explores the intersection of jazz artistry, vocal science, and sustainable technique, with a particular interest in bridging contemporary and classical approaches to healthy vocal production.