Vita Muir – Founder of Litchfield Jazz Camp and Festival and continues to develop all of the non-profit’s programs. In 1997 she launched Litchfield Jazz Camp which now hosts 300 students for a month each summer and provides need-based scholarships. Muir has served on the Litchfield board since its founding, on the boards of the Connecticut Commission on the Arts, the Connecticut Junior Republic, and Young Audiences.  She has received numerous awards for her work, including the Governor’s Award for Culture and Tourism, a Paul Harris Medal, and awards from the DAR, Chamber Music America, the National Endowment for the Arts, the first CultureMax Lifetime Achievement Award, The Elizabeth L. Mahaffey Arts Administration Fellowship, the Inge Morath Award and others. Most recently, she is a 2018 Honoree of the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame.  From her perspective, however, all these pale in comparison with the hundreds upon hundreds of happy, productive, arts-imbued lives her work has launched.

Albert Rivera – Born in the Bronx, NY, Albert Rivera’s musical journey began early on and flourished at Laguardia High School for Performing Arts in New York City, during those summer months he spent his time at Harlem School of the Arts and eventually at the Litchfield Jazz Camp, which would eventually create a life long partnership. After finishing his studies at the New School University Jazz and Contemporary Music Conservatory, he began a career that sees him today, as a seasoned performer, educator (Adjunct Professor at SUNY Purchase), and producer. Albert is now the Director of Operations at Litchfield Jazz Camp.

Don Braden – Saxophonist, flutist, composer and educator, Don Braden’s jazz career spans 40 years. He has toured the world with Betty Carter, Wynton Marsalis, Tony Williams, Freddie Hubbard, Roy Haynes, and others and performed on Saturday Night Live, at Carnegie Hall, Harvard University (where was an engineering undergrad), and countless jazz festivals and clubs. He has  over 100 CDs as a sideman and 21 as a leader, the most recent his critically acclaimed Earth Wind and Wonder. Don has written 150 pieces for ensembles from duos to full orchestras, including one for Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, and over 100 songs for jazz combos. Don believes that jazz is a great music style to study because it reflects so many important aspects of life, including creativity, discipline, teamwork, leadership, listening skills, democracy, supportiveness and improvisation. Don has been the music director of the Litchfield Jazz Camp since 1998.

Kris Allen – Saxophonist, composer and recording artist Kris Allen was born and raised in Connecticut. He began musical studies at an early age, but his desire to pursue a life in jazz was catalyzed by an apprenticeship with legendary alto saxophonist Jackie Mclean, first at Hartford’s Artists Collective and later at the Hartt School of Music in Mclean’s African American Music Degree Program. As a composer, Kris has been honored with awards and commissions and has collaborated with dancers, poets, and visual artists, as well as musicians from across genres.  He is also a founding member of the Jazz Samaritan Alliance. A dedicated educator, Kris is the Lyell B. Clay Artist-In-Residence in Jazz at Williams College. Previously he taught at Hartt, Trinity, Southern Connecticut State University and the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts.  He conducts clinics and master classes worldwide and has been a Teaching Artist for Litchfield Jazz Camp since 2001.