Jazz @ Olney

Christie Dashiell is a chart-topping, award-winning vocalist. She twice received recognition in DownBeat Magazine’s Student Music Awards as Outstanding Soloist and Best Vocalist in the Graduate College Division. She was also selected as a semifinalist in the Thelonious Monk Institute International Vocals Competition. In 2016, Dashiell released her debut solo album, “Time All Mine,” which debuted on Billboard’s Jazz Album and Contemporary Jazz Album Charts at No. 13 and 22, respectively. She has appeared as a feature artist on a number of jazz albums including “The Ever Fonky Lowdown” with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. A graduate of Howard University and the Manhattan School of Music, she was a member of Afro-Blue, Howard’s premier vocal jazz ensemble that appeared on NBC’s “The Sing Off.” Dashiell is on faculty at Temple University, Howard University and the University of the District of Columbia.

Elijah Jamal Balbed is one of the premiere Jazz Artists in Washington, DC. Winner of the 2020 DC Jazz Prix Competition, Elijah has also been named Best Tenor Saxophonist and Best New Jazz Musician by the Washington City Paper and has been featured in various publications such as Capital Bop, Smithsonian Magazine, OnTap Magazine (now District Fray), and The Washington Post. In addition to Jazz, Elijah has a deep love for DC’s indigenous music known as Go-Go. Elijah performed with The Godfather of Go-Go Chuck Brown from 2011 until Mr. Brown’s passing in 2012. During a residency at Strathmore in 2014, Elijah founded The JoGo Project - a Jazz / Go-Go fusion band dedicated to promoting and preserving the legacy of DC’s unique art form. 

Over the last decade, Elijah has established himself as an International Artist having performed in Japan, the United Kingdom, Jazz at Lincoln Center Doha (Qatar), and on the Capital Jazz Cruise which has taken Elijah all around the Caribbean Islands. In 2018 and 2019, Elijah led cultural diplomacy tours in Russia on behalf of the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Consulate in Yekaterinburg, sponsored by the Forum for Cultural Exchange (FCE). Most recently Elijah performed at the 2021 Port-au-Prince International Jazz Festival (#PAPJAZZ) in Port-au-Prince, Haiti with Trinidadian Steel Pan virtuoso Josanne Francis. When Elijah is not traveling, he dedicates his time at home to education and passing down the knowledge he's learned to the younger generations who haven't had the chance to connect with the masters of this music the way Elijah has been fortunate to.

For more information go to www.ejbjazz.com, www.jogoproject.com or follow on Social Media @ejbjazz @thejogoproject

Akua, along with her band, The Tribe, has an amazing presentation with various band sizes. She is a dynamic performer covering jazz, r&b, neo soul, world and pop. Her voice is outstanding and her charisma and energy match her voice, making her a one of a kind performer. She will be able to bring a performance that ranges from sultry and romantic to hot and energetic to your arts center!

Warren Wolf is a multi-instrumentalist from Baltimore, Maryland. From the age of three, Warren was trained on the vibraphone, drums, and piano—under the guidance of his father Warren Wolf Sr. Warren attended Peabody Preparatory—studying classical music with Leo LePage. Then with John Locke at Baltimore School for the Arts for his high school years. Warren also attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts.

During his time at Berklee, Warren studied with Caribbean jazz vibraphonist Dave Samuels. After graduating from Berklee in May of 2001, Warren became an active musician on the Boston scene—also teaching at Berklee College of Music. Warren, today, living in Baltimore, is an International touring musician and music professor both at Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore and at San Francisco Conservatory. Warren has performed throughout the United States of America, South America, Canada, Italy, Spain, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Scotland, London, Greece, Singapore, Thailand, Jarkata, Bangkok, Tokyo, Paris, Moscow and many other countries.

Warren has made several recordings as a leader and as sideman for Mack Ave Records, Blue Note Records and boutique Independent Jazz Record Labels. Musicians that Warren has performed or recorded with are Wynton Marsalis and The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Jeremy Pelt, Nicholas Payton, Tim Warfield, Adonis Rose, Donal Fox, Anthony Wonsey, Aaron Goldberg, Cyrus Chestnut, Lewis Nash, Willie Jones, Eric Reed, Mulgrew Miller, Terri Lyne Carrington, Yoron Israel, Larry Willis, David "Fathead" Newman, Stefon Harris, Reuben Rogers, Kevin Eubanks, Curtis Lundy, Steve Davis, Duane Eubanks, Ron Carter, Wycliffe Gordon, Robert Glasper, Esperanza Spaulding and many others.

Acclaimed jazz pianist, music director, composer, vocalist, jazz instructor, & actor, Mark G. Meadows is a man on a mission: to create a unifying sound that breaks through social barriers. There’s something for everyone in his music, which harmonizes pop, gospel, R&B, hip hop, funk, and jazz. With his lyrics, suffused with meaning, and his velvet voice, Meadows cuts through the noise to speak to all.

In August 2016, Meadows made his acting debut as the titular role in the Washington, D.C., premiere of the hit Broadway musical Jelly’s Last Jam at the Signature Theatre. Since then, he's been immersed in the theatre scene, successfully combining the raw, spontaneous nature of jazz with the story-telling, heavily produced nature of theatre.

Increasingly in demand around the globe, Meadows has performed alongside world-renowned artists, including Usher, Cynthia Erivo, Renee Fleming, Kendrick Lamar, Angelique Kidjo, Bobby McFerrin, The NSO, Ledisi, and more.

His latest release, Be the Change (2019), embodies the change he wishes to see in the world. Pulling from multiple genres, Mark continues to use his artistry to bring forth a positive message of love, joy, and hope to his audiences.

Walking a fine line between jazz and folk, award-winning singer-songwriter, Rochelle Rice, slips between hard and fast genre rules. Rice's sound leans heavily on solid lyrics, jazz-influenced harmony, and soaring vocals, and her versatility and unique skills as a singer, composer, and clinician have allowed her the opportunity to work with some of the industry’s most acclaimed musicians, including touring with the world-renowned women’s group, Sweet Honey In The Rock®