In 2022, Brandee Younger made history by becoming the first Black woman to be nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition. Ever-expanding as an artist, she has worked with cultural icons including Common, Lauryn Hill, John Legend, Pharoah Sanders and Christian McBride.

In 2022, Brandee was nominated for an NAACP Image Award and later, she won the 2024 NAACP Image Award in the category of Outstanding Jazz Album for her latest album Brand New Life. The album builds on her already rich oeuvre, and cements the harp's place in popular culture. As the title suggests, Brand New Life is about forging new paths–artistic, personal, political, and spiritual. Her original composition Hortense was featured in the Netflix concert-documentary, Beyoncé: Homecoming and in 2019, Brandee was selected to perform her original music as a featured performer for Quincy Jones and Steve McQueens' Soundtrack of America. Brandee Younger is on the faculty at New York University, Steinhardt School and The New School College of Performing Arts. Follow: @harpista

Jesse Taitt currently serves as Assistant Professor of Harmony and Jazz Composition at Berklee College of Music, Lecturer in Jazz Piano at Dartmouth College, and Jazz Coach and Accompanist at Wellesley College. A graduate of Berklee, Jesse earned dual degrees in Jazz Composition and Professional Music, and later pursued graduate studies at William Paterson University.

He began his musical training at Boston Arts Academy, studying classical piano with Harriet Lundberg (Boston Conservatory) and jazz with Hey Rim Jeon through the Berklee City Music Program. He went on to study with acclaimed artists including Bill Charlap, Jim McNeely, Bill Mobley and Vincent Herring, and participated in master classes with Dr. Billy Taylor, Geri Allen, Regina Carter, George Duke, Joanne Brackeen, Patrice Rushen, Hugh Masekela and Cecil Bridgewater.

Jesse has performed with the Boston Pops and R&B legends En Vogue, and served as music director for Jazz Urbane, led by Dr. William Banfield. He remains an active performer in the Boston music scene with his ensemble, the Jesse Taitt Trio.

As an Artist-Educator with Boston Arts Academy's Alumni Creative Core and a former AmeriCorps and Public Allies leader, Jesse merges performance and community engagement. In 2013, he was invited as an International Guest Artist by the US Ambassador to Rwanda, where he headlined the Kigali UP Festival and co-led master classes with Joey Blake.

His recording credits include collaborations with Sarpay Özçagatay, Dr. William Banfield, George Duke, Terri Lyne Carrington, Christian Scott and Stokley Williams.

The Coast Jazz Ensemble at Dartmouth is a musical collective that is centered around performing Jazz, Black American Music, and Creative music to the Upper Valley and beyond. Working with a wide variety of artists, styles, and periods in the jazz tradition, the Coast strives to be a community centered on the cultivation of joy and sonic expression. Whether playing classic big band pieces or more contemporary creations, the Coast consistently blends past and present traditions into every note.

In its rich history, the ensemble has hosted a diversity of guest artists, from jazz legends like Max Roach, Dexter Gordon and Clark Terry; to leaders of the avant-garde like Sun Ra, Don Cherry and Lester Bowie; to Latin jazz masters like Eddie Palmieri and Jerry and Andy Gonzales. This tradition continues with visits from some of the most acclaimed figures in today's creative music scene such as Nicole Mitchell, Kris Davis and Mary Halvorson.