Faculty & Staff

Dr. John Reynolds

Dr. John Reynolds

Associate Director, Instrumental Music Conservatory

john.reynolds@ocsarts.net

Dr. John Reynolds is a highly sought-after educator, clinician, and trumpeter. He holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Jazz Studies from USC as well as degrees from San Diego State University (SDSU) and Point Loma Nazarene University. Dr. Reynolds is well versed in instrumental conducting as he is a student of Larry Livingston (USC Thornton School of Music) and Sharon Lavery (Downey Symphony). He has conducted numerous wind ensembles, orchestras, and pit orchestras for various musical productions over the last 15 years.

Dr. Reynolds performs frequently with his own groups, the John Reynolds Jazz Quintet and the Gaslamp Quarter Jazz Orchestra. He has performed with jazz legends including John Clayton, Jeff Hamilton, Gerald Clayton, Rickey Woodard, Graham Dechter, Jackie Ryan, Bob Mintzer, Peter Erskine, Bobby Shew, Frank Mantooth, Gilbert Castellanos, Marshall Hawkins, and many others. In 2016, the SoCal Jazz Society recognized Dr. Reynolds as the “Jazz Educator of the Year,” and SDSU awarded him “Outstanding Alumnus of the Year.” 

Dr. Reynolds created and directed the jazz studies program at San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts, where he was presented with the Artistic Growth Award in recognition of his exceptional work. Dr. Reynolds is a consultant for Jazz at Lincoln Center, where he serves as a guest artist, clinician, and adjudicator for regional Essentially Ellington festivals across the country.

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Brian Clancy

Brian Clancy

Instructor

Mr. Brian Clancy is an active freelance saxophone and woodwind player in Los Angeles. He studied music at the esteemed University of North Texas (UNT) where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Jazz Studies and gained a world of experience in all areas of music.

His career as a jazz musician has led him to perform with Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band, Kurt Elling, Eric Reed, Gilbert Castellanos and become a member of the Clare Fischer Big Band led by Brent Fischer. As a woodwind player, Mr. Clancy enjoys “pit work” for musical theatre, playing everything from piccolo to alto flute, clarinet, and all of the saxophones. He also performs regularly in many bands at Disneyland including The Swing Machine, which plays for the Saturday night swing dances. However, Mr. Clancy shows his true colors when leading his own jazz quartet. He has been described as rhapsodic, mature for his years and “a young lion with an old soul.”

A native of Southlake, TX, Mr. Clancy began playing saxophone at the age of 11 and soon after fell in love with the sound and passion of John Coltrane's playing. He joined the school's jazz band at the first opportunity and throughout high school, he studied diligently with Gio Washington-Wright and Pete Gallio -- two local “authorities” on all things jazz. Following in his teachers' footsteps, Mr. Clancy attended the University of North Texas where he toured and recorded with the world renowned One O’clock Lab Band. His experiences at UNT included performances with Dave Brubeck, Kurt Rosenwinkel, and Lyle Mayes, multiple showcases overseas as well as a trip to the Grammy's for the double nominated recording, Lab 2009.
 
After finishing his degree in Jazz Studies, he recorded his debut album Introducing Brian Clancy. While living in the Dallas/Fort Worth area he played in dozens of groups, from big bands to pit orchestras, honing his skills as a jazz-man and woodwind player knowing his work would serve him well in the next chapter of his journey: the west coast.

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Nathan King

Nathan King

Instructor

Mr. Nathan King is a woodwind performer, jazz saxophonist and music educator in the Orange County and Los Angeles area. He has studied with great musicians such as Gary Foster, Jeff Ellwood, Katisse Buckingham, Sal Lozano, Dan St. Marseille, Damon Zick and Chris Bartz.

Mr. King has played under names such as Frank Ticheli, Robert Reynolds, Mitch Fennel and John Carnahan and has shared the stage with Bob Mintzer, Bill Cunliffe, Bob Sheppard, Doc Severinsen, Nick Mancini, Wayne Bergeron, John Clayton, Gregg Field, Steve Houghton, Eric Marienthal, Walt Weiskopf, Joe LaBarbara and many others. He performs in a variety of groups including his own quartet and Bill Cunliffe's "Bachanalia". His quartet has performed at well-known jazz venues including the Blue Whale, Catalina Jazz Club and the Alvas Showroom.

He was featured with the Hyperion Saxophone Quartet along with the Cal State Fullerton Wind Symphony at the 2015 California All-State Music Education Conference in San Jose. Additionally, Mr. King was selected among hundreds of applicants throughout the nation to be a part of the 2015 Disneyland All-American College Band as lead alto saxophone. Most recently, he was honored with the award of top saxophonist at the 2016 Reno Jazz Festival.

Along with being an active performer, he has been a teacher of woodwinds, music theory and jazz improvisation for a number of years in the Southern California area both privately and through local schools including Orange County School of the Arts. Mr. King earned a Bachelor of Music in saxophone performance with an emphasis in jazz and commercial music from California State University, Fullerton and is currently pursuing a Master of Music in jazz studies from California State University, Long Beach.

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Mark Massey

Mark Massey

Instructor

Jazz pianist-composer, Mr. Mark Massey, was born and raised in Lynwood, California, where he showed early talent on piano, trombone, and drums. During high school, he studied classical piano and played in various groups, jazz combos and big bands. Mr. Massey studied music composition under Dr. Philip Westin, and during summers took music classes at the Cerritos College Music Camp. He played in the Pico Rivera Stage Band, which won First Place at the Hollywood Bowl Battle of the Bands. He graduated from Cal State Long Beach (with bachelor's and master's degrees in Music), where he was recipient of the Carmen Dragon Fellowship for composition and was dubbed "A Young Giant" by the National Association Of Jazz Educators.

Mr. Massey has performed throughout the U.S., Europe, the former Soviet Union (in the 1980s), Russia (2001), the Far East and India. He has worked with Larry Carlton, David Benoit, Paul Horn, Poncho Sanchez, Hubert Laws, Louie Bellson, Phil Upchurch, L. Subramaniam, the Side Street Strutters, and the late Freddie Hubbard, Maynard Ferguson, Yehudi Menuhin, Stéphane Grappelli, and Tony Williams.

He was featured in The Four Pianos Concert series along with pianists Paul Smith, and the late Pete Jolly and Steve Allen. As well as his periodic concerts internationally, Mark performs regularly at major jazz venues throughout Southern California, both as a sideman, and as leader of The Mark Massey Trio, with Anders Swanson (bass) and Aldo Bentivegna (drums).

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Kyle Myers

Kyle Myers

Instructor

Teaches: Saxophone, Arranging and Composition

kyle.myers@ocsarts.net

Mr. Kyle Myers is an award-winning composer, arranger, and saxophonist based in Los Angeles, California. From orchestras to wind bands to small jazz groups, Mr. Myers’ award-winning compositions are sought-after from groups of all skill levels all across the nation. As a saxophonist, he has studied with teachers Charles McPherson, Christopher Hollyday, Brad Leali, and Sal Lozano and has performed with artists such as Kenny Werner, Arturo Sandoval, Melissa Aldana, and Gilbert Castellanos.

Mr. Myers received his master's degree from California State University, Long Beach and his bachelor's degree in music at the University of North Texas where he played saxophone and composed for the storied One O'clock Lab Band. Mr. Myers continues to compose, play, and teach in the greater Los Angeles area.

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Ryan Navales

Ryan Navales

Instructor

Teaches: Jazz Guitar

ryan.navales@ocsarts.net

Mr. Ryan Navales is one of the jazz/contemporary guitar specialists at Orange County School of the Arts. Mr. Navales graduated from California Institute of the Arts with a master’s degree in jazz performance and is a freelance musician based in the Los Angeles area. As a performing artist, Mr. Navales has shared the stage with several jazz luminaries, including New York Voices, John Hollenbeck, John Clayton, Poncho Sanchez, Joe LaBarbera, Vinny Golia, and Alphonso Johnson. In addition to his live performance work, he has also recorded at Capitol Records for CalArts and performed on a track with Freda Payne. Mr. Navales currently teaches courses in Jazz and Fusion Ensemble and helps with the Improvisation class. He is also adjunct faculty at Fullerton College and Chapman University.

Kevin Richardson

Kevin Richardson

Instructor

kevin.richardson@ocsarts.net

Mr. Kevin Richardson earned his bachelor’s degree in trumpet performance from California State University, Northridge. He has studied with many fine teachers and musicians, such as Carmine Caruso, Jimmy Stamp, Bobby Shew, Claude Gordon, and Jon Faddis. As a performer, Mr. Richardson has played and toured with Buddy Rich, Louis Bellson, Michael Bolton, Tom Kubis Big Band, and the Brian Setzer Orchestra. His film and television credits include Stuart Little, Fantasia 2000, The Today Show, Conan O'Brian, and Jay Leno. Currently, he freelances in the LA area and also tours with Tom Jones. Mr. Richardson has taught private lessons and section coaching since 1990.

Cole Sainburg

Cole Sainburg

Instructor

Teaches: Bass

cole.sainburg@ocsarts.net

Mr. Cole Sainburg is a professional musician and educator based out of the Los Angeles and Orange County area. Well-versed and active in many styles such as jazz, pop, rock, and hip hop, Cole can be found working in a wide variety of musical situations throughout any given week. When he is not performing, Mr. Sainburg runs his own private studio, offering high quality lessons in acoustic/electric bass, music theory, and ear training. In addition to performance and education, Mr. Sainburg is a composer/arranger and bandleader, writing music for both other artists and his own projects.

Kevin Van Den Elzen

Kevin Van Den Elzen

Instructor

Teaches: Jazz Drum Set

kevin.vandenelzen@ocsarts.net

Mr. Kevin Van Den Elzen is an in-demand jazz drummer and bandleader originally from the Netherlands who works and resides in Los Angeles.

Mr. Van Den Elzen has worked with musicians such as John Clayton, Dick Oatts, Bob Mintzer, Larry Carlton, the New York Voices, Bob Sheppard, Gerald Clayton, Anthony Wilson, Nick Mancini, Kim Richmond, Hubert Laws, John Beasley, Jasper Blom, Mary Stallings, Paquito d’Rivera, Josh Nelson, Jesse van Ruller, Ben van Gelder, Greetje Kauffeld, Ack van Rooyen, Fay Claassen, Benjamin Herman, and many others. He worked with big bands such as the Bill Holman Big Band, Clare Fischer Big Band, Dave Slonaker Big Band, Mike Barone Big Band, Teryn Re Big Band, Brussels Jazz Orchestra, Paradox Jazz Orchestra (NL), Orchestre de Jazz Luxembourg, and the Millennium Jazz Orchestra.

Mark Wein

Mark Wein

Instructor

Mr. Mark Wein has been performing and teaching music in Southern California for over thirty years and holds degrees in both commercial music performance from Fullerton College and jazz performance from California State University, Fullerton.

As a performer, Mr. Wein has worked steadily playing jazz, blues, soul, reggae, calypso and rock music with groups such as the swing band The Scot Willy Combo, The Ken Foerch Group, Panjive, New Originals, Kingsize and The Metropolitans as well as rock groups such as Felt, Jennifer Corday and the cover bands All Star Trio and The Automatix. In 2014, he released his first solo blues album Black Market Hearts and was recently featured on Norwegian country and western artist Randi Marie’s album The Heart Wanders.

As owner and operator of Premier Music, a full-service music school in the city of Orange, California from 2004-2016, he taught private lessons, clinics and performance classes.  Mr. Wein is the author of the books Foundations for Guitar and Expanded Blues Guitar and is also a featured guitar instructor on Truefire.com.
 

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Advisory Board

Jason Goldman

Jason Goldman

Producer, Songwriter, Composer, Arranger, Engineer

Mr. Jason Goldman, known professionally as “Spicy G,” is a multi-platinum selling hit record producer, songwriter, composer, arranger, and engineer. Mr. Goldman has been a producer and writer on Michael Bublé's last four albums including his most recent number one hit on Billboard's Adult Contemporary charts, “Let It Snow.” He co-produced Bublé's Grammy nominated and Juno award-winning 2016 album Nobody But Me. He also co-wrote two of the originals including the lead single “Nobody But Me” featuring Bublé and Black Thought from Philadelphia-based hip hop group The Roots.

Mr. Goldman has produced, written, and arranged for some true heavyweights in the music industry including mega-producer David Foster, Rod Stewart, Herbie Hancock, Steve Tyrell, and Meghan Trainor among others. 

As a performer, Mr. Goldman has performed with the likes of mega-producers JR Rotem and David Foster as well as legendary artists Michael Bublé, Queen Latifah, Wayne Newton, Chris Isaak, Michael Feinstein, Herbie Hancock, Terence Blanchard, and Wayne Shorter.

Mr. Goldman has been heavily involved in music education for over 20 years. He is an Associate Professor of Practice and Chair of the Jazz Studies department at the University of Southern California as well as the Artistic Director and Founder of the nonprofit Young Musicians Project.

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Todd Stoll

Todd Stoll

Vice President of Education, Jazz at Lincoln Center

In over three decades as a music educator, Mr. Todd Stoll has taught young musicians at every level, from elementary school through college. His impact on public music education can be seen in his legacy at central Ohio’s Westerville City Schools where he served for 18 years as music teacher and 10 years as music curriculum coordinator. Mr. Stoll has also served as Ohio’s president of the International Association of Jazz Educators, and the inaugural chair of Jazz Events for the Ohio Music Education Association. His curriculum work has been implemented at public schools across Ohio and beyond, bringing jazz education to students who otherwise might not have received it.

An experienced performer, Duke Ellington expert, and jazz advocate, Mr. Stoll founded the Columbus Jazz Youth Orchestra (CJYO) in 1991 to give young people the chance to cultivate a love of jazz through performance. He served as the director until 2011. Under his direction, the CJYO released six CDs, participated in the prestigious Essentially Ellington Competition at Jazz at Lincoln Center, and toured Europe and South America. Mr. Stoll’s students have achieved successes that have taken them to The Juilliard School, Carnegie Hall, and the New York Philharmonic.

In 2011, Mr. Stoll became the Vice President of Education at Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC) in New York City, which continues to afford him the opportunity to bring jazz education programs to thousands of people of all ages and socioeconomic levels. Since he joined the organization, JALC has produced more than 15,000 education events in the US and around the world. The innovative Essentially Ellington high school jazz band program expanded during his tenure, providing nearly 250,000 free scores to 4,500 high schools in all 50 states and 46 countries, reaching more than 750,000 students.

An in-demand conductor and clinician Mr. Stoll has appeared with numerous all-state ensembles, the NAfME All National Honors Jazz Ensemble, and in Havana, Cuba at renowned music conservatories Amadeo Roldan and La Escuela Nacional de Arte.

Mr. Stoll holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Miami University and a Master of Music degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

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