Chuck Owen is the recipient of five individual GRAMMY nominations and a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship, Chuck Owen’s compositions have been performed widely; by the Netherlands’ Metropole Orch., WDR Big Band, Brussels Jazz Orch., Aarhus Big Band, Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orch., and numerous others.  Chuck’s evocative and intensely personal work is steeped in the jazz tradition but draws liberally and playfully from a diverse array of influences.   

Since 1995, Owen’s primary creative outlet has been his own 19-piece Jazz Surge.  Serving as conductor as well as primary composer/arranger, he has produced each of the Surge’s 7 highly feted CDs.  Whispers On the Wind, released in 2017, was recognized with 4 GRAMMY Nominations while named #1 Big Band Album in the annual Jazz Station Awards.  River Runs (2013), a stunning 5-movement genre-bending orchestral/big band hybrid and The Comet’s Tail (2009) also received GRAMMY nominations.   Their most recent recording Within Us (2021) was celebrated with a sold-out performance at NY’s Birdland while multiple critics acclaimed it one of the year’s best jazz releases. Chuck’s 2023 album project in collaboration with the renown WDR Big Band, received rave reviews worldwide, making the lists of several annual top 10 releases.  Meanwhile, ReSurgence, his new septet featuring several members from the Jazz Surge along with the luminescent vocalist, Kate McGarry, released their first album, Magic Light, in Spring 2024 amidst a flurry of performances & tours. 

Retired from the University of South Florida where he taught for 40 years, Chuck was accorded the title of “Distinguished Professor Emeritus”.  He served as the founding President of ISJAC (International Society of Jazz Arrangers & Composers) for over 8 years and continues on its Board as Past President.  He’s also served as President of IAJE and panelist for the Pulitzer Prize in Music, the NEA, ASCAP, the Recording Academy, and numerous others. 

Sarah Morrow grew up in Pickerington, Ohio. Born to a musical family, she began playing trombone at age 12 in school band, under the guidance of band director Michael Sewell. Within two years she won positions in All-State Band, The Ohio State Fair Band and the Capital University Wind Ensemble.  In 1995, as a young jazz trombonist, she was discovered by the legendary pianist and singer, Ray Charles and became the first female instrumentalist member of his orchestra. Sarah completed 2 world tours with the Master and then moved on to play in the groups of Funk legends Bootsy Collins, the Funky Drummers of James Brown and Foley (lead bassist for Miles Davis), jazz vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater, jazz saxophonist David Murray, and the Duke Ellington Orchestra, among others.  She was offered her first recording contract by RDC Records in Paris, France, with her first album, Greenlight, receiving world-wide critical acclaim.   

News of Sarah’s talent spread like wildfire, and she went on to tour the world with her own bands, winning multiple awards, and performing in top festivals and venues such as The Newport Jazz Festival, JVC Jazz Festival Japan, The Kennedy Center, L’Olympia, Paris, and Jazz Festival Dubai, to name only a few. Sarah has since recorded 4 albums, all released by major labels worldwide. Her last album, Elektric Air, becoming a cult classic in the jazz hip-hop movement. Following years of success as a band leader, Sarah was hired by iconic New Orleans pianist and singer Dr. John to become his Music Director / Producer where they worked together closely for 7 years, garnering literally hundreds of accolades, a number 1 album and one Grammy win. Since then, Sarah focused her sights on film music, working with illustrious Directors Jon Favreau and Tom McCarthy for Walt Disney Motion Pictures.  Sarah is currently finishing her Master of Music in Pedagogy at Western Kentucky University, focusing on the art of jazz improvisation for classically trained musicians. Sarah Morrow is endorsed by Getzen Instruments, VooDoo Pedals and Shure Microphones. 

Greg Wing is an Emeritus Professor of Music, trumpet from Morehead State University (2002 to 2024). He holds a Master of Music degree in Trumpet Performance from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University (Bloomington) and received a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Morehead State University. Wing is in high demand as a clinician/guest artist and has served as an Assistant Instructor of Trumpet at Indiana University under Professor William Adam and an Instructor of Trumpet for the Nevada School of the Arts in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

Wing is recognized as one of the nation’s leading trumpet artists having served as Lead Trumpet with the Buddy Rich Big Band, Paul Anka, and four years with Tom Jones. In addition, he has played Lead Trumpet for the Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas Hilton, Flamingo Hilton, and Stardust Hotel's house orchestras. Professor Wing has played for virtually every major entertainer in the world including Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Johnny Mathis, Tony Bennett, and Natalie Cole. Wing also has extensive Broadway show experience performing in the orchestra for 57 National Touring shows. He is also a former member of the DiMartino/Osland Jazz Orchestra "DOJO". He was the recipient of the 2010 - 2011 Morehead State University Distinguished Teacher of the Year award. In 2013, Professor Wing was inducted into the Morehead State University Alumni Hall of Fame. Wing was also inducted in the Holmes High School (Covington, KY) Hall of Distinction in 2018 and selected as the recipient of the 2021-2022 Morehead State University Distinguished Service Award.