WIJO Mentors
ANNOUNCING SOON: The 2025 Season Roster!
WIJO Mentors is a jazz mentorship program in its 8th season, designed to connect and enrich the community of women and non-binary people in the musical genre of Jazz. The program provides strong role models to up-and-coming jazz musicians and composers in a safe and supportive environment, and offers a way for established jazz artists on the scene to help shape the future of their art form.
Selected mentees work with professionals from around the world in a one-on-one setting. They receive invaluable guidance on musical, career, and interpersonal skills, as well as build a new relationship with an established musician.
Mentees also get to participate in community-building with their own peer group, by connecting with a strong and diverse group of young women- and non-binary jazz musicians through in-person and online events, including jam sessions, masterclasses, music business events, wellness workshops, community engagement, and more.
2024 MENTEES (Pictured Above):
Tasiah Rogers, Aanya Sengupta, Emily Brown, Natalie Wagner, Sofia Koulouvaris, Malin Carta, Chloe White, Adrienne Bazil, Kalia Ferretti, Maayan Shulak, Irene Choi, Analise Levesque, Reese Pike, Serim Kim, Isadora Knutsen, Grace O'Neil, Izzi Guzman, Alicia Lindberg, Chiara Minotto, Lola Miller-Henline, Lilia Burtonpatel
2024 MENTORS:
Shenel Johns, Candice Hoyes, Vanisha Gould, Erica Von Kleist, Gabrielle Murphy, Sharel Cassity, Bria Skonberg, Chloe Rowlands, Lessie Vonner, Mariel Bildsten, Kelly Green, Miki Yamanaka, Dawn Clement, Camila Meza, Amina Scott, Sara Jacovino, Kaisa Mäensivu, Miho Hazama, Tomoko Omura, Ayn Inserto
2023 Season Roster
2023 MENTEES (Mostly Pictured Above): Melissa Lai, Angelina Kolobukhova, Eliana O'Brien, Rebecca Jalbert-Gonzalez, Morgan Turner, Maggie Brown, Magali Benetiz, Lana Drincic, Jenna Reel, Sarah Uyar, Adrienne Bazile, Sarah McIntyre, Asha Egmont, Holly Forster, Stephanie Tateiwa, Sara Navratil, Mackenize McCarthy, KC King, Carly Stock
2023 MENTORS: Vanisha Gould, Tammy McCann, Lauren Kinhan, Rosana Eckert, Ayn Inserto, Miho Hazama, Carmen Staaf, Caili O'Doherty, Miki Yamanaka, Bria Skonberg, Lessie Vonner, Nadje Noordhuis, Emily Asher, Ange Davis, Camille Thurman, Nicole Glover, Tahira Clayton, Erica von Kleist
2022 Season Roster
MENTEES: Pictured L to R, Top to Bottom row: KC King (tenor sax), Florence Hughes (trombone), Marlena Boedigheimer (tenor sax),Anna Meyer (voice), Allison Young (alto/bari saxes), Kellin Hanas (trumpet), Mackenize McCarthy (tenor sax), Sarah McIntyre (trumpet), Adriana Tampasis (composition), Angelina Kolobukhova (voice), Jenna Reel (piano), Destiny Diggs (composition), Stephanie Tateiwa (alto sax), Anjelica Rose (bass), Kate Williams (composition), Alexandra Biancoviso (trombone), Stephanie Chow (guitar), Faith Quashie (voice), Emma Hedrick (composition), Sara Navratil (tenor sax)
MENTORS: Trineice Robinson Martin, Charenee Wade, Johnaye Kendrick, Rosana Eckert, Ayn Inserto, Marta Sanchez, Marion Hayden, Mariel Bildsten, Kalia Vandever, Bria Skonberg, Lessie Vonner, Caylen Bryant, Carmen Staaf, Camila Meza, Sharel Cassity, Maria Grand, Lisa Parrott, Camille Thurman, Gabrielle Murphy, Caroline Davis
2021 Season Roster
MENTEES:
Pictured and Listed Alphabetically, Top L to R, each row, top to bottom.
Alexandra (Allie) Biancoviso (trombone), Anson Jones (voice), Bell Thompson (trumpet), Devon Gates (bass), Eliana Fishbeyn (composition), Emma Taylor (bass), Faith Quashie (voice), Katelyn Robinson (voice), Katie Carson (trumpet), Kellin Hanas (trumpet), Lauren Elliott (composition), Malin Carta (saxophone), Marlen Suero-Amparo (drums), Olivia Hughart (saxophone), Renuka Jayasinghe (saxophone), Stephanie Tateiwa (saxophone), Summer Camargo (composition), Yvonne Rogers (piano), Zandra Azoulay (drums), Courtney Wright (composition)
MENTORS:
Pictured and Listed Top L to R, each row, top to bottom.
Vanisha Gould (voice), Tomeka Reid (composition), Jennifer Wharton (trombone), Grace Kelly (saxophone), Janis Siegel (voice), Terri Lyne Carrington (drums), Shirazette Tinnin (drums), Carla Cook (voice), Lessie Vonner (trumpet), Helen Sung (piano), Nadje Noordhuis (trumpet), Christine Jensen (composition), Gabrielle Murphy (saxophone), Mimi Jones (bass), Chloe Rowlands (trumpet), Camille Thurman (saxophone), Allison Miller (composition), Marion Hayden (bass), Ayn Inserto (composition), Sharel Cassity (saxophone)
2020 Season Roster
MENTEES:
Olivia Hughart, Malin Carta, Grace Frarey, Madeline Winters, Morgan Hurlock, Lael Dratfield, Lauren Elliott, Crystal Rebone, Hannah Dunton, Jahnvi Madan, Yu Nishiyama, Jhoely Garay, Sejin Kim, Naomi Nakanishi, Maya Keren, Anastassiya Petrova, Alice DeRagon, Sarah Irvin, Bell Thompson, Katie Carson, Summer Camargo, Shannon, McDougall, Emily Gelineau, Catherine Byrne, Joie Bianco, Yifei Zhou, Rachel Azbell, Elizabeth Sadler, Alaina O'Neill, Kassandra Charalampi, Rose Stoller, Dina DiMarco
MENTORS:
Alden Hellmuth, Alexa Tarantino, Melissa Gardiner, Karolina Strassmayer, Mercedes Beckman, Christine Jensen, Lisa "Paz" Parrott, Katie Ernst, Mary Ann McSweeney, Lihi Haruvi-Means, Erica Seguine, Shirazette Tinnin, Dida Pelled, Rachel Z Hakim, Roberta Piket, Monika Herzig, Angela Morris, Virginia Mayhew, Bria Skonberg, Barbara Laronga, Nadje Noordhuis, Shannon Gunn, Akua Dixon, Leonor Falcon, Kristina Koller, Aubrey Johnson, Brenda Earle Stokes, Lucy Yeghiazaryan, Lauren Lee, Noriko Ueda, Tammy Scheffer, Rachel Ekroth
2019 WIJO Mentors Roster
MENTEES
Genesis Berrios, Anna Blackmore, Malin Carta, Kassandra Charalampi, Domi Edson, Jhoe Garay, Jess Goodrich, Sarah Hanahan, Morgan Hurlock, Malwina Masternak, Liany Mateo, Sarah Milligan, Yu Nishiyama, Anastassiya Petrova, Jade Saffery, Ella Jane Sharpe, Bell Thompson, Talia Rubenstein, Courtney Wright
MENTORS
Mercedes Beckman, Rachel Eckroth, Melissa Gardiner, Jocelyn Gould, Christine Jensen, Aubrey Johnson, Kristina Koller, Barbara Laronga, Virginia Mayhew, Elsa Nilsson, Nadje Noordhuis, Dida Pelled, Roberta Piket, Mayu Saeki, Karolina Strassmayer, Brenda Earle Stokes, Sumi Tonooka, Noriko Ueda, Rachel Z
2018 WIJO Mentors Roster
MENTEES
Alexandra Ayoob, Bell Thompson, Diamond Anderson, Montana Heater, Jade Saffery, Liany Mateo, Jessica Goodrich, Malwina Masternak, Yvonne Rogers
MENTORS
Alexis Cole, Melissa Gardiner, Monika Herzig, Barbara Laronga, Roberta Piket, Lauren Sevian, Svetlana Shmulyian, Joanna Wallfisch, Rachel Z
Questions/More Information
Please send us an email with any questions regarding the WIJO Mentors program or application process, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
WIJO Mentors Email: mentors@wearewijo.org
WIJO Mentors Program Director & WIJO Vice President: Tahira Clayton
WIJO Mentors Executive Assistant: Gabby Byrd