our instructors
Michael Anthony is a musician’s musician. Throughout the sixties and seventies, Michael Anthony built his reputation and his chops as a professional studio musician in Los Angeles and was a second generation member of the famed "Wrecking Crew". Michael has recorded and performed with: Tony Bennett, Nelson Riddle, Henry Mancini, Johnny Mandel, The Beach Boys, Peggy Lee, Diana Ross (Do You Know Where You're Going To, Theme From Mahogany), Barbara Streisand and the LA Philharmonic under Zuben Meta. Today, Michael Anthony applies his talent and his experience as a musician in the realm of education, teaching guitar workshops and master classes on both the secondary and university levels.
John Bartlit is a Los Alamos-born and bred composer/drummer/ukule player. When he is not touring the world as an internationally acclaimed musician and clinician, he can be found performing throughout central New Mexico with virtually all of the best talent in our region. Based Albuquerque, John is known far and wide as an accomplished musician and brings an infectious joy to the stage, whether he is playing a traditional percussion instrument or something he found amusing in the plumbing department of a hardware store.
Bruce Dalby is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Music at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. As a working retiree he teaches undergraduate courses in aural skills. He has also taught courses in music education, improvisation and conducting, and for six years led the jazz program at UNM, including directorship of Jazz Band I. He has ten years experience as a band director in the public schools of Idaho and New Mexico, including five years at Manzano High School in Albuquerque. Dr. Dalby received his undergraduate education from Utah State University and did his graduate work at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he received the Master of Science and Doctor of Education degrees in music education. As an active freelance trumpet player in the Albuquerque area Dr. Dalby performs regularly with various classical, jazz and salsa organizations, and is a 38-year member of the Albuquerque Jazz Orchestra.
An Albuquerque native, Cisco Dimas is an Adjunct Professor of Jazz trumpet at Florida International University. He holds an MM in Jazz Pedagogy and a BM in Studio Music and Jazz from the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music. Cisco is also on faculty at Miami Dade College and is currently a member of the South Florida Jazz Orchestra, Sammy Figueroa’s Latin Jazz Explosion, the South Florida Symphony, and tours around the world with KC and the Sunshine Band. In addition to his very active freelance career, Francisco’s musical versatility lends itself to the recording studio, making him one of the most in-demand session players in South Florida.
Originally from Guatemala, Rodolfo Gonzalez, is a flutist/arranger/composer who has lived in New Mexico since 1991. Rodolfo has toured nationally and internationally with various salsa bands and is the music director for the New Mexico based salsa bands Terra Plena and Charanga del Valle as well as the award-winning Transit Latin Jazz Ensemble.
Currently based in New Orleans, LA, guitarist John Maestas is originally from Albuquerque, NM. He studied with guitarist Michael Anthony in New Mexico, and later studied Jazz at the Chicago College of Performing Arts and Berklee College of Music. John started his career first as a sideman to many inspiring contemporary young artists, while also accompanying and learning from New Orleans legacy artists that keep the traditions of their city’s music alive and thriving. As a music producer he has worked in the studio writing, recording & performing songs for other artists and for his own band, Juan Tigre. He has had the pleasure of sharing the stage and studio with many inspiring artists in his career including Christian Atude Adjuah Scott, Elzhi, Pell, Bernard Purdie, Nesby Phips, Nicholas Payton, and Jason Marsalis.
Micky Patten has a degree in music from the University of Minnesota and did graduate jazz studies at Oakland University. He performs regularly in and around New Mexico as both a bassist and guitarist and is a long time member of the NMJW Adult Education faculty.
Diane Richardson holds a DMA from USC, an MM from the Boston Conservatory, and a BM from Berklee College of Music. Her recordings and performances include A Tribute to Abbey Lincoln; Berklee Sun Ra Arkestra; SingusMingus: A Jazz Lieder Program, The Sacred Music of Duke Ellington, and African American Spirituals and Arts Songs. Diane Richardson is recently retired from her position of Assistant Chair/Professor, Voice Department, at Berklee College of Music.
Patty Stephens teaches voice from her private Albuquerque, NM studio in addition to being a long standing faculty member at NMJW. She teaches music classes to pre-schoolers and has developed a program of community music-making for families with infants and toddlers. Patty is lead singer in Bert Dalton's award winning band, The Brazil Project and performs in and around New Mexico.
Singer, songwriter and recording artist Zenobia began her singing career in her church choir in Los Angeles where she taught herself to play the piano at 5 years old and wrote her first song at 8. At 18, she debuted in the LA company of the rock musicial, HAIR, then was sent to New York to join the original Broadway company. Zenobia was a studio singer on sessions and live gigs. Her CD, “Resurrection" was voted "Best of the Year" 2015 and "Glory" 2014 Best Gospel Song by New Mexico Music Awards.
