Terry Hsieh (Trombonist)

Terry Hsieh is a trombonist, composer, and session arranger from Durham, North Carolina, who currently lives and works in Beijing. He graduated in 2012 from Oberlin College and Conservatory where he studied Robin Eubanks, Gary Bartz, Billy Hart, Sean Jones, and Marcus Belgrave. He has worked in the Chinese pop industry in the house bands for shows such as “I Am A Singer,” “The King of Masks,” “Bands of China,” “Rising Star,” “Phantacity,” and more. Hsieh has worked for such artists as Tan Weiwei, Terry Lin, Karen Mok, Tia Ray and more. Hsieh co-founded and led the Blue Note Beijing Jazz Orchestra for a year and a half from 2016-2018, and is the bandleader of the Terry Hsieh Collective, whose album “Multiplicity” featured Robin Eubanks and SF Jazz cohort Miguel Zenon. He currently serves as horn section director and arranger under Arai Soichiro in Karen Mok’s Ultimate World Tour band.

Alex Cummings (Saxophonist, Flutist, Clarinetist)

Alex Cummings is a woodwinds specialist, producer, and music educator from Camden, New Jersey. Since the age of ten, Cummings has used the saxophone as a means of creative expression, guided by Camden community heroes Jamal Dickerson, Nasir Dickerson, and Hassan Sabree. After graduating from Oberlin Conservatory in Jazz Performance and the Aaron Copeland Music School for Jazz Composition, Cummings now performs all around the New York City metro area as well as in the rest of the United States and China. He has collaborated with musicians including Robin Eubanks, Billy Hart, Michael Mossman, as well as bands and projects including EarthTone, Street Beat Brass Band, Twilyte Axis, Spice Cabinet, FeveBand and many more.

Chenhuai Wang (Jazz Bassist) 

Chenhuai Wang began studying music at the age of 14, initially as a guitarist in his hometown of Tianjin, China. After high school, Chenhuai attended the Beijing Contemporary Music Academy where his focus turned to jazz, and he began to study the double bass. Chenhuai was influenced by the music of great musicians such as Charlie Parker, Charlie Haden, John Zorn, and Steve Coleman. In 2008, he started his undergraduate studies in jazz at the Prince Claus Conservatoire in Groningen, Netherlands, and graduated with a full scholarship in 2013. Upon graduation in 2014, he returned to Beijing to focus on performing. In 2015, Chenhuai began graduate studies in Jazz Performance at Queens College, where he had the opportunity to study with Antonio Hart, Ralph Peterson, Michael Moore, David Berkman, Paul Benner, Joe Martin, Dennis Mackrel, Michael Mossman, Joris Teepe, and Christophe Lier. In the past few years, Chenhuai has played with Erik Truffaz, Ingrid Jensen, Don Braden, Matthew Shipp, Ted Nash, Chris Washburne, Theo Croker, Kris Davis, Deborah Davis, and Joe Farnsworth.

Anthony Vanacore (Jazz Drummer)

Anthony Vanacore is a New York City native born musician. To date Anthony has performed with many world-class musicians and bands including Vincent Herring, Jaleel Shaw, Ingrid Jenson, Kris Davis, Paulette McWilliams, Nat Adderley Jr., Deborah Davis, Ted Rosenthal, Hendrick Meurkens, Laurent Maur, Mark Turner, Nick Hempton, Michael Mossman, J Kyle Gregory, Conrad Herwig, Rafal Sarnecki, Hendrick Meurkens, Laura Fygi, Kevin Harris, Sal DiFusco, Rick DiMuzio, Richard Sussman, Ember Swift, Youngjoo Song, Moreno Donadel, Li Xiao Chuan, Lawrence Ku, Li Quan, Mr. Miss, Jz Big Band, Manhattan Symphonie, Dun Shan Wind Orchestra, and many others. He is currently a member of the Moreno Donadel Trio, the Blue Note Beijing Jazz Orchestra and Beijing fusion super-group The Spice Cabinet. In Beijing he is the leader of his own experimental improvisational project Core, and China’s only band dedicated to researching and performing music from the bebop era of jazz, “BeiBe” (Beijing Bebop). Anthony holds a teaching position at the Beijing Contemporary Music Academy, and takes part in dozens of clinics and drum events around China every year. He has shared the stage with many world-class drummers from around the world including Billy Cobham, Dave Weckl, Thomas Lang, Tommy Igoe and many more. Anthony received his bachelor’s degree in music performance with a concentration in percussion from Montclair State University in 2007, and master’s degree in jazz performance with a concentration in drum set from the City University of New York, Queens College in 2010.