Alex Dean (Regional Coordinator)
Alex Dean, one of Canada's foremost jazz saxophonists, has been a mainstay of the Canadian music scene for many years. He has played and recorded with Bill Evans, Kenny Wheeler, Aretha Franklin, Natalie Cole, Harry Connick Jr., Phil Nimmons, the Dave McMurdo Jazz Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra.Alex held the tenor saxophone chair with Rob McConnell's Grammy award winning Boss Brass and the Juno award winning Rob McConnell Tentet. The Alex Dean Quartet/Quintet recordings include the newly released "At this point" (released Nov. 2010), Dreamsville, Both Feet, and Kaitlyn's Waltz. Kaitlyn's Waltz was voted Best Jazz CD of 1994 by The Jazz Report and one of the Top Ten Jazz CD releases by New York's Village Voice. Alex was also voted Jazz Musician of the Year by the Toronto Star. Alex is a widely respected private teacher and adjudicator in Canada and the U.S., and he is a faculty member at both Humber College and the University of Toronto.
Marsha Duggan (Regional Coordinator)
Originally from Courtice, Ontario, Marsha Duggan moved to Toronto in 1999 to attend Humber College for Music. Since 2002 Marsha has been a volunteer member of the administration team for MusicFest Canada. In her spare time she does the website/photography/live sound for the band Loco Zydeco. This is Marsha's second year as Regional Co-Ordinator for the Next Generation Jazz Festival, and as Work Placement Advisor in the Humber Music Department.
Andy Pryde (Production)
Andy has been the sound engineer for Humber College since 1999. He has taught the Music Production class and produced Humber's "New Standards" series of CD releases, Volumes 1 through 10. Andy is a graduate of the music program for bass and has a history of performance that includes such notables as Ronnie Hawkins, Tam White, Domonic Triano, Mose Scarlett, Jack deKeyzer, George Oliver and Chris Partland to name a few. A live sound engineer since 1979 he has worked with performers such as: Michael Burgess, 54-40, Ashley MacIsaac, Glen Campbell, James Cotton, Doctor Hook, Leahy, The Headstones, Phil Woods, Renee Rosnes, Kenny Wheeler and more. Andy has produced, engineered, mixed and mastered CD's for such performers as Max Mouse and the Gorillas, Buzz Thompson, Dennis O'Toole and various artists from Backlash Productions, Peterborough, Ontario.