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Dr. Thomas Manuel

 

Jazz historian, music educator and cornet player Dr. Thomas Manuel holds the endowed Artist in Residence chair within the Jazz department at Stony Brook University. In addition to this he is the Artistic Director of the Loft School of Jazz, is a member of the Huntington Arts Council Decentralization Advisory Committee, is the founder and President of The Jazz Loft in Stony Brook, N.Y., an innovative and creative space which joins jazz performance, jazz preservation and jazz education in celebration of the past, present, and future, and also served as the President for The Institute For New Music. Manuel has been cited for his accomplishments by The New York Times, Downbeat Magazine, Newsday, Jazz Inside Magazine, Jazz Ed Magazine and has been actively involved with global educational outreach to Havana, Cuba, Monrovia, Liberia and Port Au Prince, Haiti. Manuel dedicates his professional efforts to both the preservation of Long Island’s jazz history as well as presenting it to future generations and has received several honors for his dedication to the American born art form of Jazz including: Stony Brook Universities 40 Under 40 Award, several Suffolk County Proclamations, the East End Arts & Humanities Council 2020 Music Masters residency, the 2019 Applied Improvisation Network International Conference artist presenter, the 2016 Person of the Year in Brookhaven award from the Times Beacon Record, and has also served as a trustee to the Frank Melville Memorial Foundation. 

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Mr. Christopher Donohue

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Mr. Christopher Donohue graduated from SUNY Purchase College with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Jazz Performance. Although his primary instruments are the saxophone, flute, and clarinet, Mr. Donohue is an accomplished violinist, vocalist, and pianist.
 

Mr. Donohue has enjoyed the past 19 years as the Orchestral and Jazz Ensemble director at St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School. For the past 13 years, he has been the Chairperson of Performing Arts at SJB. With five choirs, three Orchestras, two Bands, Pep Band, Jazz Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, Dance, and many music electives he is very proud to oer one of the largest and most diverse private school music programs on Long Island.
 

Mr. Donohue has had the pleasure of working as a clinician and guest artist with many dierent school districts and colleges such as Nassau Community College, Stony Brook University, Hofstra University, Sayville School District, Patchogue Medford School District, Commack School District, and most recently The East Ends Arts Mentorship Program.
 

Mr. Donohue actively participates in a variety of regular performance groups such as the Interplay Jazz Orchestra, The Jazz Loft Big Band, and The Phoenix Big Band.

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Special Guest Artists have included but are not limited to:

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Oliver Nelson Jr.

Glen Drewes
Todd Coolman
Jeff Lederer
Dana Sean Stephens

Bill Crow
Dean Johnson
Andy McKee

Nick Mancini

Ray Anderson

 Frank Hansen

Rich Iacona

Dan Pugach

Steven Bernstein

Tommy Campbell

Zaid Shukri

John Marshall

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Please e-mail info@thejazzloft.org for additional information.