Terell Stafford, acclaimed trumpet player based in New York, has been hailed as “one of the great players of our time, a fabulous trumpet player” by piano legend McCoy Tyner. Stafford is recognized as an incredibly gifted and versatile player, he combines a deep love of melody with his own brand of spirited and adventurous lyricism. Stafford’s exceptionally expressive and well defined musical talent allows him to dance in and around the rich trumpet tradition of his predecessors while making his own inroads.

Since the mid-1990s, Stafford has performed with groups such as Benny Golson’s Sextet, McCoy Tyner’s Sextet, Kenny Barron Quintet, Frank Wess Quintet, Jimmy Heath Quintet and Big Band, Jon Faddis Jazz Orchestra, Carnegie Hall Jazz Band and Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Alumni Band. Stafford with the HamiltonClayton Jazz Orchestra, performed on Diana Krall’s Grammy-nominated From this Moment On (2006). John Clayton invited Stafford to perform with the Clayton Brothers Quintet and Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. Stafford is a member of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra and they were awarded a Grammy in 2009 for Best Large Ensemble, Live at the Village Vanguard.

Stafford can be heard on over 130 albums. His latest recording This Side of Strayhorn has been hailed as “the first must have album of 2011” and “genius.” Stafford is the Director of Jazz Studies and Chair of Instrumental Studies at Temple University, founder and band leader of the Terell Stafford Quintet, and Managing and Artistic Director of the Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia (JOP). Stafford is renowned in the jazz world as an educator, performer and leader and has received countless award nominations and accolades.

Stafford was born in Miami and raised in Chicago, Illinois and Silver Spring, Maryland. He received a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from the University of Maryland in 1988 and a Masters of Music from Rutgers University in 1993.

The Philly POPS BIG Band performs throughout the Philadelphia region. Composed of 18-20 musicians – five saxophones, five trumpets, four trombones, a drum set, a piano, a guitar, and bass – the BIG Band plays swing, ragtime and jazz in the style of the Count Basie Orchestra and Harry James Band while expanding its repertoire into all kinds of popular music from Latin to funk and rock. The Philly POPS BIG Band members were chosen for their passion for popular music. Each is also a teaching artist, adept at instructing the next generation of musicians.

Alita Moses is the next big thing hitting the international jazz circuit.  At 23-years-old, she has won the 2014 Shure Montreux Jazz Vocal Competition at the Montreux Jazz Festival, and performed internationally with the likes of Al Jarreau, Patti Austin, Lee Ritenour, Steve Davis, Joel Frahm, and is back again with The Philly POPS.  Alita introduced her talent to Europe for the very first time in May 2016, completing a tour with 29 sold out concerts in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Originally from West Hartford, CT, Alita recently graduated from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, earning her BM in Jazz Vocal Performance. She has performed as a soloist with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and has shared the stage with some of the hottest players of the New York City jazz scene, such as Joel Frahm and Larry MeKenna. 

While Alita’s career started in jazz, her versatility and inspirations have led her to the neo-soul scene where she has made a mark with her band, Lohai, and has been recruited for performances like singing with rapper Vic Mensa on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Whether on the stage or in the studio, she brings a natural warmth to each performance and astounds audiences with grace, soul and a musical maturity beyond her years.