Bio
Originally from Oregon, Jeryl has completed a Master of Music degree in composition from Brooklyn College, CUNY, and a Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Oregon School of Music with dual majors in Piano Performance and Music Theory.
In Oregon, she began studying Afro-Cuban music, an undertaking which has taken her on an adventure that has included multi-year freelance tenures in both Los Angeles and New York City. In Los Angeles she performed predominantly with “Orquesta Son Mayor,” and “Johnny Polanco y su Conjunto Amistad.” As a member of these ensembles, she played regularly at venues such as The Conga Room, The Mayan, The Getty Center, and Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
After several years in LA, Jeryl packed up and moved to New York City. Since her arrival in New York, she has worked with the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, Charanga Típica ’73, Louis Bauzo, Ray Santos, The Rhythm Method string quartet, and C4, the Choral Composer Conductor Collective, among others.
She has had the good fortune to study with composers, performers, and scholars Kofi Agawu, Ray Andersen, Sonny Bravo, Jack Boss, George Brunner, Gustavo Casenave, Jason Eckardt, Hulangonsodji (JB) Gnonlonfoun, Kevin Holt, Erika Honisch, Robert Hurwitz, Stephanie Jensen-Moulton, Steve Larsen, Tania León, Judy Lochhead, Benjamin Tausig, Arturo O’farrill, Ursula Oppens, Harold Owen, Margaret Schedel, August Sheehy, Victor Steinhardt, and Dalit Warshaw. Dialogue with these advisors has resulted in the development of a portfolio of original chamber and orchestral compositions, works for large and small jazz and Latin jazz ensembles, for West African drumming ensembles, Cuban dance bands, vocal ensembles, and electronics. It has also resulted in research interests which have led her to publish on the topics of music notation across cultures and West African timeline music.
In addition, Jeryl is a committed teacher, having held a position as head music teacher with the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance. Currently, she is on the faculty at Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music where she teaches jazz orchestration and arranging and other courses in which she encourages students to engage with the topics of bias in music, and rhythm.
Jeryl is the musical director of the West African diasporic third-stream jazz ensemble “Yanine.” Currently, she is pursuing a PhD in Critical Music Studies as a Graduate Council Fellow at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, with research interests in tertiary music composition pedagogy and timeline music, especially Yorùbá and Lucumí bàtá.
Short Bio
Jeryl holds a Master of Music degree in composition from Brooklyn College, CUNY, and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Oregon with majors in piano performance and music theory.
Between degrees, she spent over ten years freelancing, which took her from the salsa bands of Oregon and Washington, through several years playing with ‘Orquesta Son Mayor’ and others in Los Angeles, and which brought her to New York.
In New York, Jeryl has performed with and/or composed for the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, Tipica ’73 Charangueando, Jomion and the Uklos, Louis Bauzó, Ray Santos, The Rhythm Method, and C4, The Choral Composer Conductor Collective, among others. She is the director of the Afro-Cuban third-stream ensemble “Yanine,” and has published on intercultural music notation and West African timeline music.
Currently, she teaches jazz arranging and other courses at Brooklyn College and pursues a PhD in Critical Music Studies as a Graduate Council Fellow at SUNY Stony Brook, with research interests in timeline music, especially Yorùbá and Lucumí bàtá, and in tertiary music composition pedagogy.
Short-Short Bio
Jeryl is a Brooklyn based composer, performer, teacher and researcher with a portfolio encompassing projects for large and small straight ahead and Latin jazz ensembles, West African diasporic percussion ensembles, chorus, electronics, orchestra, wind ensemble and chamber groups. Currently, she teaches jazz arranging and other courses at CUNY Brooklyn College and pursues a PhD in critical music studies as a Graduate Council Fellow at SUNY Stony Brook, with research interests in timeline music, especially Yorùbá and Lucumí bàtá, and in tertiary music composition pedagogy.