We Create Jazz Ensemble
June 22, 2022
Jazz at the campSITE
American Sign Museum

Highlighting talented regional musicians in jazz!

Kayla Upthegrove (saxophone)
Matt McCoy (bass)
Chelsea Hughey (drums)
Katie Carson (trumpet)
Lexi Hamner (trombone)
Dan Karlsberg (keyboards)

Kayla Upthegrove is a tenor saxophonist and vocalist from Cincinnati, OH. Inspired by the sounds of Dexter Gordon and Joe Henderson, she attended Northern Kentucky University (NKU) and graduated from the Jazz Studies program in 2018. Kayla has the distinction of being the first African American female jazz saxophonist graduate of NKU. Teaching and performing in Cincinnati, she performs with many groups such as The Nasty Nati Brass Band, Laurie Jane and the 45s, La Formula Big Band, Mickey James and The Queen City Crew, and others. Kayla has recently returned to Cincinnati where she is continuing to pursue a career as a music educator, composer, and performer.

Based in Indianapolis, IN, Chelsea Hughey is a jazz drummer and percussionist. She holds a BA in Music from Butler University and an MM in Jazz Performance from New Jersey City University, and will finish her MBA in Music Business this summer. Of her many influences, Tim Horner, Mark Sherman, Walt Weiskopf, Allen Farnham, and Bill Kirchner were incredible resources, guides, and mentors as she worked toward her MM in Jazz. From 2013 to 2020, Chelsea worked as a freelance drummer in northern New Jersey, New York City, and the surrounding areas. Since returning to Indianapolis in 2021, Chelsea has continued her freelance work as a member of the house band for a weekly jam session on the south side of Indy and performing at the local Indy club The Chatterbox. She has also continued working as a musical theater drummer playing for area high school productions, as well as the long-standing Beef and Board Dinner Theater.

Katie Carson is a vibrant young trumpet player and educator based in Cincinnati, OH. The relationship between performance and education is powerful and important for Katie. After graduating summa cum laude from Lakota West High School in 2017, she attended the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, from which she will graduate in 2021 with a degree in music education and concentration in jazz studies. She has played in various groups across Greater Cincinnati, with an emphasis on jazz and Afro-Latin music. She is a trumpet player and organizer with La Fórmula Music Productions, a multifaceted group based in Cincinnati with offshoot ensembles that specialize in the particular music from different Latin American countries. She also teaches students ages K-12, both individually and in classroom settings.

Lexi Hamner is a native of the Queen City, Cincinnati, OH. She began her music studies at the School for Creative and Performing Arts from elementary to high school. Lexi’s primary instruments are voice and trombone. Her music abilities led her to study with the likes of Peter Norton (trombonist) of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and the illustrious director, Wynton Marsalis, of the Jazz at Lincoln Center. Not only does she play trombone, but she accompanies herself on guitar and piano when singing originals. Lexi has now graduated from the prestigious Berklee College of Music as a Presidential Scholar and Sarah Vaughn scholarship recipient with a BA in Songwriting. As she continues to study and grow into the musician she wants to be, her hope is to inspire people through her sound.

Dan Karlsberg is a jazz pianist, composer, producer, and founder of the Dan Karlsberg Group and The ‘Nati 6. He has released four albums: The Adventures of the Dan Karlsberg Group, Mission to Mars and Other Short Stories, The ‘Nati 6, and Tales from the Winter Solstice. Dan is based in Cincinnati, OH, and is an adjunct professor at University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He performs regularly with some of the greatest musicians of our time.

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