Wally Schnalle joined us as Summer Jazz Camp Director in 2014, but his history with San Jose Jazz as a teacher and performer go back much further. A highly respected drummer, composer and educator, he has recruited the best teachers in the region and has expanded and diversified Camp’s offerings.

Wally helped form the SJZ Collective in 2018. This and his other two ensembles have performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival, Hong Kong Jazz Festival, Beishan China Jazz Festival, Portland Jazz Festival, San Jose Jazz Summer Fest and San Francisco’s Jazz in the City series. As a sideman, he’s played with Phil Woods, Eddie Daniels, Ernie Watts, Med Flory, Dave Pell, Bill Henderson, Etienne Charles and Mary Wilson. He performs and teaches in many genres, including Latin, funk, and rock and blues, but the bulk of his work is in jazz and fusion.

Wally has ten recordings of original compositions in release and has also received commissions from Santa Clara University and the California Arts Council. He has been a writer and editor with Drum! magazine for over 20 years. Wally earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Jazz Performance at San Jose State University.

Gary Ortega is a dynamic music educator and performer with a passion for the arts and student development. He graduated with a Bachelor’s of Music in Jazz Studies in 2012 and a Master’s of Arts in Music in 2014 at San Jose State University.

Gary is a District Music Teacher in the Evergreen Elementary School District teaching middle school and elementary band and choir. In his spare time, he teaches privately across the South Bay Area on trumpet and trombone.

Gary received his California teaching credential in music from San Jose State University and student taught at Lincoln High School in San Jose in 2015. He has previously served as a teacher at San Jose State University, St. Leo the Great Catholic School, Alum Rock Jazz, Leigh High School, and with the Sacramento Mandarins Drum and Bugle Corp. Gary has served as technical director and assistant camp manager at Summer Jazz Camp since 2012. During his time at San Jose State University, he was a soloist with the Jazz Orchestra and the Brass Ensemble. He has performed with the Wind Ensemble, Jazz Combos and the Washington Square Brass Quintet and currently composes and arranges music for his own jazz group, The Identity Crisis.

Saúl Sierra is a bassist, composer, arranger, and educator. He was born and raised in Mexico City and attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he graduated with a degree in Performance. While at Berklee, he received the US Scholarship Tour Award and the Outstanding Performer Award.

A resident of the San Francisco Bay Area, Saúl has performed, toured and recorded with countless performers, including Nestor Torres, Jimmy Bosh, Eddie Montalvo, Johny Rodríguez, Jesús Díaz, Wayne Wallace, Jackeline Rago, and many more.

For the past 10 years Saúl has been a member of some of the leading Bay Area bands, including The John Santos Quintet/Sextet, Bobi Cespedes’ band, Anthony Blea y su Charanga, Jesús Díaz y su QBA, The Bay Area Afro-Cuban All Stars, and The Venezuelan Music Project. Saúl is also a member of the California State University East Bay Music faculty.

David Flores was born into the rhythm section while sitting behind his father’s bass rig and his uncle’s drum set. David is adept at playing jazz, soul, R&B, Brazilian, hip-hop, Afro Cuban and orchestral compositions. Although a drum set player at heart, David is also a highly skilled Latin jazz hand-percussionist.

With enthusiasm and great respect for his craft, David shares his musical experience with students hoping to foster the interest and dedication. In 1990, David began teaching music to elementary, high school and adult students. As an educator he has led clinics, master classes, set curriculums and helped prepare students for auditions, recitals, concerts and gigs.

David has worked with Lauryn Hill, John Santos, John Calloway, Donna Summer, Pete Escovedo, Jesus Diaz, Orestes Vilato, Francisco Aguabella, Karl Perazzo, Michael Spiro, Bobbi Céspedes, Ray Vega and many more.

Hristo Vitchev is a modern jazz guitarist and composer from Sofia, Bulgaria. Now residing in the Bay Area, he has toured nationally and internationally and has led guitar clinics in Europe and Japan.

Hristo leads his modern jazz quartet which features the Latin Grammy-nominated pianist Weber Iago, drummer extraordinaire Joe De Rose, and virtuoso bassist Dan Robbins. In addition to touring, Hristo has written more than 270 original compositions, many articles on jazz improvisation, and a book on chordal theory and construction.

Hristo has performed in world-class jazz venues and festivals, including Yoshi’s; Anthology, San Diego; The Herbst Theater, San Francisco and many jazz festivals including San Jose Jazz Summer Fest, Monterey Jazz Festival, Okazaki Jazz Festival and many more.

A Bay Area resident since 1980, Michaelle Goerlitz has been exploring Latin and Brazilian music and rhythms ever since. She was a founder of the Blazing Redheads and Wild Mango, two long-term projects that showcased her versatile percussive skills.

She has played with a long list of performers including VNote Ensemble, Venezuelan Music Project, ‘Chelle & Friends, Wayne Wallace, Mark Levine, Tom McDermott, Tammy Hall, Paul McCandless, Holly Near, Anthony Brown, The Brazilian Jazz Project, Ojala, Rhiannon, Yair Dalal, Barbara Higbie, Jami Sieber, Tuck & Patti, Jai Uttal and Samba Rio. In 2007 she was named a “rising star” in DownBeat magazine.

Joy Hackett is a jazz pianist and vocalist studying at San Jose State University under Dahveed Behroozi. At SJSU she plays in the Jazz Orchestra (under the direction of Aaron Lington), the Latin Jazz ensemble (Jeff Lewis), and various small groups off campus in the styles of jazz, R&B, funk, gospel, and salsa.

Joy came up through San Jose Jazz’s education programs. After being an alumna of Summer Jazz Camp and the High School All Stars, she returned to teach at the SJZ Progressions program and its Summer Camp.

Nichole Boaz is a pianist and music teacher in the South Bay. She received both her Bachelor’s of Music and Master’s of Arts in Jazz Studies from San Jose State University. While attending SJSU, Nichole studied piano with Frank Sumares and Dahveed Behroozi. 

Currently, Nichole teaches jazz, piano, and general music courses at SJSU. She also teaches private piano lessons at Tavan Music in Los Gatos and at Music Village in San Jose. Nichole performs frequently in the San Jose area with groups such as the 7th Street Big Band and The Killer Queens.

Brian Ho began playing piano at age five when he took lessons at Stanford University and San Jose State University. By sixteen, he was playing professionally and was hired to play for a South Bay African American Baptist Church, where he forged his love affair with the Hammond Organ.

Currently, Brian performs on a Hammond XK3c Pro XK dual manual system with the Hammond XPK-200 pedals and Leslie 3300. Brian has performed at San Jose Jazz Summer Fest, Stanford Jazz Festival, Healdsburg Jazz Festival, Sonoma Jazz Festival, and Benicia Jazz Festival. In addition, he is musical director for the Old Orchard Elementary School in Campbell and writes for Keyboard magazine. Brian is a clinician for and endorses the legendary Hammond Organ. Brian earned his Bachelor’s degree in music performance at San Jose State University.

Dr. Marcus Wolfe holds a DMA in Jazz Studies and Theory/Composition from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as well as a Master’s of Music and a Bachelor’s of Music in Jazz Studies and Saxophone from the University of North Texas.

Known for his work as Director of Jazz Studies at Valley Christian Conservatory of the Arts—where his jazz ensemble received recognition the Downbeat Magazine Student Music Awards and Monterey Next Generation Jazz Festival—Marcus regularly adjudicates and guest conducts festivals and summer camps throughout the United States and Canada. As a professional jazz saxophonist Marcus has performed throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe and the Middle East. He has released two CDs on the Nojoh record label, was recognized with three DownBeat awards, and has also authored a method book entitled Rollplay Musical Dice Game: Strength Training for Fundamental and Advanced Technique on All Instruments.

Oscar has performed with a variety of Bay Area based musicians, including John Worley, Brian Ho, Kristen Strom, Aaron Lington, Jason Lewis, John Shifflett, and more.

Oscar performs throughout the area regularly at venues like Pampas in Palo Alto, the Hotel DeAnza’s Hedley Club, and the Rosewood Sandhill Spa and Resort. He currently leads his own modern jazz ensemble, the Bad Five, which debuted at the 2014 San Jose Jazz Summer Fest.

A native from California’s Central Coast, Veronica Tyler Christie is a versatile music educator with a passion for helping young people develop their potential through the arts.  Veronica earned her undergraduate degree in Music Education at San Jose State University School of Music and Dance.

During her at SJSU she primarily studied under Bay Area trombonist Tom Hornig. She has also studied with musicians such as Alex Bedner, Wayne Wallace, Katherine Adduci, Robynn Amy, Paul Contos, and Aaron Lington. She continues to be involved with the education scene as well as being a part of different ensembles such as the 7th Street Big Band and the East Palo Alto reggae powerhouse, Rafa.

As a bass trombonist, She has made various stage appearances such as the Island Reggae Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival Next Generation Festival, and Yoshi’s to just name a few. While maintaining her passion for music education and adolescent development, Veronica has spent time working with various educational music programs such as the Monterey Jazz Festival’s Summer Jazz Program.

John L. Worley, Jr. is an accomplished trumpet / flugelhorn / post-horn artist and leader of the bands Mo-Chi Quartet, WorlView and Bari Bari. John is also an engaging and accomplished educator who teaches with enthusiasm, humor, and insight to a wide range of ages, experience levels, and proficiencies.

John is a current member of the SJZ Collective and has played in many other San Francisco Bay Area music ensembles, as well as on over 70 recordings and videos. Being adept at a multitude of styles, John has played with and backed up national and international artists in North America, Europe, and Central America such as Mel Torme, Ella Fitzgerald, Don Byron, Wayne Shorter with the Monterey Jazz Festival Chamber Orchestra, the Carla Bley and Steve Swallow Big Band, Wayne Wallace, Jon Jang, the Asian American Orchestra, Dave Pell Octet, Pete and Sheila Escovedo, Malo, and Lila Downs.

WorlView, Bari Bari, and the Mo-Chi Quartet have participated in several music series and festivals, including the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest and Winter Fest, Monterey Jazz Festival, Jazz Project in Bellingham, WA, SF Jazz “Hotplate” and “Clock Tower” series, Stanford Jazz Festival, Kuumbwa Jazz Center, Pacifica Performances series, the “Jazz Katsu” fundraiser for tsunami aid in Japan, Yoshi’s Night Club, Intersection For The Arts, and the Sonoma Jazz Festival.

John is a member of the music faculty at: Stanford University and Hope St. Music Studios in Mountain View. In 2013, John was included in David Hickman’s book, Trumpet Greats, a biography of 2,200 trumpet players from the year 1600 to the present.

WorlView, John’s debut CD, was released in 2003 on his label, Dancing Sumo Records. His second CD Naivasha was released in 2015. He also produced jazz guitarist Sebastien Lanson’s debut recording, In Transition, on Dancing Sumo Records in 2004.

John is a Yamaha Performing Artist and plays the Yamaha YTR9335NYS trumpet and YFL8315GS flugelhorn.