Matt Falker
Matt Falker is a jazz and gospel pianist, vocalist, arranger and clinician. As a full-time professor at MiraCosta College, Matt directs the Downbeat award-winning Frequency vocal jazz program, and is founder and director of the Oceanside Jazz Festival, a non-competitive vocal jazz festival hosted at MiraCosta.
As a prominent vocal jazz arranger, Matt now distributes his music through his publishing company, Anchor Music Publications (formerly Sound Music Publications founded by Frank DeMiero in 1988), as well as the music of dozens of other arrangers and composers in the vocal jazz community. Matt is also the Executive Director of the Vocal Jazz Academy, a nonprofit organization that helps launch one-day vocal jazz workshops around the United States and Canada for teachers and students. He and his wife Jessica host an Educator Support community for hundreds of educators on Facebook.
As a vocalist and pianist, he has presented featured sets at events such as the Jazz Education Network (JEN) Conference and the International Jazz Voice Conference in Helsinki, Finland. In 2023, Matt directed the Vocal Jazz Immersion Choir at the ACDA National Conference in Cincinnati, OH, where he also presented a clinic with Cedric Dent (formerly of Take 6) on contemporary gospel music and creating an inclusive environment for Black choral students. Matt has also served as the guest conductor for many All-State Vocal Jazz Ensembles, and as a featured clinician or performer at prominent educational jazz festivals.
Matt also arranged and scored a new musical based on the life and music of Nat ‘King’ Cole, which was premiered at Morgan State University in Baltimore.
Clara Campbell
Jazz vocalist, Clara Campbell, 2025 Ella Fitzgerald Competition Winner, has established herself in the heart of the United States’ capital, Washington D.C. Originally from Bountiful, Utah, Clara’s musical journey began at an early age fueled by an innate curiosity for sound and a deep-seated passion for music.
Clara holds a Bachelor of Music with an emphasis on Commercial Music at Snow College’s Horne School of Music, where she had the privilege of studying under esteemed mentors such as Carl Allen, Chase Baird, Jennifer Madsen, and Philip Kuehn.
In 2022, Clara joined the prestigious Airmen of Note, the premier jazz ensemble of the United States Air Force, as their featured vocalist. Since joining the band, Clara has embarked on tours across the globe, performing at renowned venues and festivals such as the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival, the Rochester Jazz Festival, and The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
Throughout her career, Clara has graced stages alongside jazz luminaries including Pasquale Grasso, Catherine Russell, Jon Faddis, Rodney Whitaker and Gordon Goodwin.
Clara enjoys connecting with her audiences through her own arrangements and original works and is working towards releasing her debut album.