Shortly after his birth at St. Mary’s hospital, in Walla Walla, Kevin Casseday returned to live with the rest of the Casseday family in nearby Dayton. His early musical influences were his parents, in addition to Norma Evers and Mary Ellen Juris, organists at the First Congregational church in Dayton.

Double bassist Louis Levitt has recently performed alongside the Grammy-nominated Quartet San Francisco and multiple-Grammy-winning composer Bob James.

Stephen Schermer, double bass, received his Bachelor of Arts with honors from Eastern Washington University, and his Master of Music with honors from the New England Conservatory. He also studied at the Tanglewood Music Center where he was the recipient of the Koussevitsky Fellowship. Mr. Schermer is currently assistant principal of the Pacific Northwest Ballet orchestra.

Double bassist Peter Seymour has performed with many of the world’s most highly acclaimed artists and ensembles, including the Cleveland Orchestra, New World Symphony, Houston Symphony, New York City Ballet, IRIS Orchestra and the Colorado Music Festival. He was the recipient of the DownBeat Magazine Award for Best Jazz Soloist, and has shared the stage with such luminaries as Wynton Marsalis, Roy Hargrove and Bobby McFerrin.

Josh Skinner is the Manager of the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival at the University of Idaho. He has served as an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth and professor of Double Bass and Jazz Studies at Utah State University and BYU-Idaho. Skinner has been involved with planning every aspect of jazz festivals for over ten years, including the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival, the UNC-Greeley Jazz Festival, and the Head of the Lakes Jazz Festival.

Julie Woods spends her days teaching orchestra for students in grades 5-12 in the Walla Walla School District. She seeks to foster independence in her young musicians and to expose them to many different musical experiences.