Jazz Band I - Mike Tomaro

Zach Paris is an Associate Professor of Music and the Director of Instrumental Music and Percussion Studies at Northwest College in Powell, WY. In addition to his work at Northwest College, Dr. Paris has taught courses at Iowa Western Community College, the University of Nebraska, Arizona Christian University, Central Arizona College, and Arizona State University. He is an extremely versatile percussionist and educator that specializes in a wide range of musical styles. His omnivorous approach has led him to a career in jazz, latin, pop, country, rock, and heavy metal drum set, as well as marching percussion, classical percussion, African percussion, multi-percussion, and four-mallet marimba. In these areas, Zach has won a number of competitions including the Nebraska Guitar Center Drum-Off finals, the Victoria Drum Festival Solo Competition, the Heartland Marimba Festival Solo Competition, the Scottsdale Guitar Center Drum-Off, the Paul Seidel Drumming Competition, and the Percussive Arts Society International Percussion Ensemble Competition.  He has also been recognized as a winner of two DownBeat Magazine Student Music Awards in the Graduate Soloist category.

Dr. Paris is also a recognized composer with works published through C. Alan Publications and Tapspace Publications. He currently holds associate degrees in music performance, and music technology from Northwest College (where he was named the 2010 Most Outstanding Music Student), a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Wyoming (where he was named the Presser Scholar in 2013), a master’s degree in percussion performance (MM) from the University of Nebraska, and a doctorate in percussion performance (DMA) from Arizona State University.


Learn more about Zach here: https://www.tapspace.com/zach-paris/

Mike Tomaro is a saxophonist, composer, arranger and educator specializing in jazz and commercial music. He recently retired from the Mary Pappert School of Music at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA, where he was its Jazz Studies Program Director since 1997. Prior to this, he was a member of the Army Blues Jazz Ensemble, a unit of the prestigious “Pershing’s Own” U.S. Army Band for 17 years.  While a member of this group, he served as its Enlisted Musical Director and performed for Presidents Reagan, Bush and Clinton as well as heads of state from around the world.  He also composed and/or arranged much of the Army Blues repertoire and was featured as a soloist on several of the group’s albums and CDs.  Mike is a Yamaha Performing Artist and Vandoren Diamond Artist.


​As a performer, Mike has worked with such diverse artists and groups as Rosemary Clooney, Ray Charles, Michael Feinstein, Linda Ronstadt, Debby Boone, Johnny Mathis, Wayne Bergeron, Terence Blanchard, Louis Bellson, Terry Gibbs, Dizzy Gillespie Tribute Big Band, Woody Herman Orchestra and the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, where he is featured on their DVD, “Live at MCG.”  In his hometown, he has performed with guitarist Joe Negri, Pittsburgh Jazz Legacy Band, Pittsburgh Symphony, River City Brass Band, Pittsburgh Ballet and Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble in addition to leading his own small groups.


​Mike’s music has been performed by the likes of jazz greats David Liebman, Wayne Bergeron, Ivan Lins, Claudio Roditi, Mike Stern, Ernie Watts, Bobby Shew, Randy Brecker, New York Voices, Al Vizzutti and many more, as well as high schools, colleges and universities around the world.  His orchestral arrangements have been performed by the Pittsburgh and National Symphony Orchestras.  Over 200 of his compositions and arrangements have been published by Doug Beach Music, Hal Leonard Publications, and eJazzlines.  In 2009, Mike scored the music for MCG/Opera Theater of Pittsburgh’s production of Duke Ellington’s musical “Beggar’s Holiday.” In 2018, he compiled, transcribed, re-orchestrated and arranged music for large jazz ensemble for the entirety of a 90-minute show for actor Keith David’s one man show, “Joe Williams: Here’s To Life.”


Learn more about Mike here: https://www.miketomaro.com/

Julie is an active vocalist, pianist and songwriter in Northern Colorado. She performs regularly at local venues, both as a soloist and with her band, The Thistle Tones. Julie has toured 7 Midwest states with her jazz trio (Domi Edson, Mckenna Reeve). In 2023, she performed at the 20th annual Five Points Jazz Festival in Denver, CO. Julie is passionate about increasing the visibility of women in jazz; her first album and tour featured all female musicians.


​Julie earned a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education at Otterbein University (Westerville, OH) in 2013. After teaching for several years and studying with renowned jazz vocalist Kim Nazarian, Julie continued her education at the University of Northern Colorado, where she completed her Master’s degree in Jazz Studies (2019). While at UNC, Julie studied with Julia Dollison and Kerry Marsh, and sang with the premier vocal jazz ensemble, Vocal Lab. This DownBeat award-winning group had the distinct honor of performing with Bobby McFerrin in 2018. Julie received a 2019 DownBeat Student Music Award for Outstanding Performance in the Graduate Vocal Soloist category.


​Julie is currently an adjunct instructor of Applied Voice, Applied Piano, and Class Piano at Laramie County Community College (Cheyenne, WY), and instructor of voice and piano at Flourish Music Academy (Greeley, CO). She has also worked as a clinician and adjudicator for events in Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. Julie has taught in both classroom and one-on-one settings since 2012, and is a strong proponent of the growth mindset.


Learn more about Julie here: https://www.juliekoenigsings.com/

Jazz Band II - Dr. Zach Paris

Grammy-nominated Dr. Jeremy Fox is a Professor of Vocal Jazz at Mt. San Antonio College, directing vocal jazz ensembles, leading the jazz voice program, teaching accompanying classes, as well as classes in audio and production.  For 14 years, Dr. Fox taught full-time at the renowned School for Music Vocations program. He is excited to be crafting a new jazz certificate program at Mt. San Antonio College to go hand-in-hand with their phenomenal award-winning ensembles.  The goal for his program is to help empower singers with skills not taught at most traditional college programs.  He is in demand as a festival and conference clinician, and has served as guest conductor for sixteen All-State ensembles throughout the U.S. and Canada. His ensembles have been invited numerous times to prestigious conferences such as the Jazz Education Network’s Annual Conference – and his ensemble was the only collegiate group representing vocal jazz at the American Choral Directors Association National Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio.  For 20 years, Jeremy led the SMV Vocal Jazz Camps throughout the U.S. and Canada, and has led 15 annual Jazz Harmony Retreats – empowering educators who may have never had the opportunity to learn the nuts and bolts of jazz arranging and accompanying.

Dr. Fox publishes his compositions through his own website, through Anchor Music, Alfred Music, and Sheet Music Plus.  He has been commissioned by dozens of high schools and colleges to write pieces for their vocal jazz ensembles, concert/chamber choirs, big bands, and studio orchestras. His music has been written for or performed by: Take 6, The Real Group, New York Voices, m-pact, Cadence, Terence Blanchard, and Metropolitan Opera singers Eric Owens and Denyce Graves. He is the Musical Director of Bossa Nova Sinfónico, conducting the National Symphonic Orchestra of Cuba, and twice conducting the Costa Rican National Orchestra.  Videos of the group have yielded over 15 millions views on YouTube.  His arrangement of “All My Tomorrows” featuring Kate McGarry was nominated for “Best Arrangement – Instruments and Vocals” at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards.


Learn more about Jeremy here: https://www.jeremyfox.net/

Vocal Jazz II - Julie Koenig

Directors

Vocal Jazz I - Dr. Jeremy Fox


​2026 - WY All-State Jazz Information
  • February 1st-3rd, 2026
  • Sheridan College
  • Eric Richards, Host

Featuring:

  • The WY All-State Jazz Band
  • The WY All-State Jazz Ensemble
  • ​The WY All-State Vocal Jazz Ensemble


Audition information can be found here!