HBCU/PBI Spotlight Initiative

 The NCCU Vocal Ensembles have won accolades at numerous American and international festivals and have twice performed at the White House with the NCCU Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Combos. The Ensemble and guest artist Joey Calderazzo were featured at the 2008 International Association for Jazz Education Conference in Toronto, Canada. The Ensemble performed with pianist Geri Allen and vocalist Carmen Lundy at the NCCU Jazz Festival in 2007. In 2009, they became the first college vocal group to perform at the prestigious Notre Dame Jazz Festival.

Lenora Zenzalai Helm Hammonds is a Jazz Vocal Musician specializing in Classic, Traditional jazz standard and original repertoire. She has 6 solo recordings and a touring and performance discography with the biggest names in Jazz. Former U.S. Jazz Ambassador, she mentors emerging vocalists, and since 2005 teaches vocal performance and directs a vocal jazz ensemble as a professor in the music department at North Carolina Central University. 

The TSU Jazz ensembles are award-winning and renown ensembles that have fostered the talents of many of the top performers of today. Notable alums include; Kirk Whalum, Shelly Carroll, Frank Lacy, Andrae Hayward, Horace Alexander Young, and Kyle Turner to name a few. TSU ensembles have always been forward thinking, geared toward the modern musician and cultivate a unique environment for musical exploration and self-expression.

Dr. Brian N. Perez is Director of Jazz Studies and woodwinds at Texas Southern University where his duties include directing the jazz ensembles, teaching jazz curriculum courses, applied lessons and coordinating the jazz area.  Perez holds D.M.A. in saxophone performance from the University of Maryland College Park, a Master of Music in Jazz Pedagogy from the University of Miami, a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from the University of Minnesota Duluth. Perez is a regular member of the Conrad O. Johnson Orchestra and the Houston Jazz Orchestra - which was recently awarded a Disney Motif Award for performance and outreach.  He has also performed with artists such as Tom Harrell, The Cab Calloway Orchestra, Ruben Blades, and the Temptations.  As a solo artist he has performed nationally and internationally including Spain, Colombia, and Venezuela.