Meet the Leaders of the 2026 Workshops
​​MINDFUL PERFORMANCE: WHERE PREPARATION AND CONFIDENCE INTERSECT
Mark Davis is an accomplished pianist and an influential educator who has performed with jazz luminaries Eric Alexander, Peter Bernstein, Benny Golson, Slide Hampton, Tom Harrell, Jimmy Heath, Brian Lynch, Charles McPherson, Frank Morgan, and Phil Woods, among others. He is the founder and artistic director of the Milwaukee Jazz Institute. He also teaches privately and is on the music faculty of Alverno College. Mark is the author of two top-selling books, the Hal Leonard Jazz Piano Method and the Hal Leonard Jazz Piano Method Book 2. He is a founding member of the group We Six, which just released a new album entitled Vivid Dreams. www.markdavismusic.com.
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The Milwaukee Jazz Institute was created by dedicated jazz musicians and supporters who have a passion for preserving this music and passing it on for future generations to develop. Milwaukee has had a long and vibrant jazz history, and we look to continue the legacy of Tony King, Manty Ellis, Berkeley Fudge, Buddy Montgomery, David Hazeltine, and others who led the way. We collaborate with other organizations that share our vision of how this music can become an even more significant factor in shaping, revitalizing, and improving our city. We hope that MJI will be instrumental in furthering jazz in Milwaukee for many generations to come.
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www.milwaukeejazzinstitute.org
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LIGHTEN UP: THE ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE FOR MUSICIANS
Alexandra Kassouf is a performer and teacher, based in Milwaukee, WI. She has performed as both a singer and a dancer with Opera Columbus, Queen City Opera, Cincinnati Chamber Opera, Folks Operetta, Contemporary Dance Theater, and the Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company of Chicago. Alexandra is also a founding member of Avimimus, a vocal duo specializing in early music and new works. Her first piece, Boundaries, has been called “one of the top five” pieces presented at the long-standing performance art series. Other PTA performances include dancing with Bloom Dance Project and a premiere of songs from a cycle by Sarah Hutchings.
Here is what Alexandra says about the Alexander Technique; “It is a way of learning to find more ease by undoing your habitual tensions. It isn’t a discipline or a set of exercises. It also isn’t something you have done to you. By participating in a lesson, you are learning to think in activity and can begin to change your habits. The Alexander Technique can help you to improve your level of comfort and efficiency in whatever activities you are already doing. I initially became interested in the technique as a way to help me become a better singer. It didn’t take me long to realize that lessons were providing me a foundation of ease and freedom from which to move. That quality of being has allowed me to improve my experience of many of the activities of everyday life, not to mention activities that require training and skill.”
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Alexandra earned a Master of Music degree from College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, and her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree is from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she also studied dance.
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