David W. Carter, Jr., (trumpet) a native of Charleston, SC, holds a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of South Carolina and a Master of Music Education degree with a focus in Jazz Studies from the University of Southern Mississippi. Currently, David is pursuing a Ph.D. in Music Education with a focus in Conducting also from the University of Southern Mississippi.

At the University of Southern Mississippi, David served as a graduate assistant for both the university bands and jazz bands. As a graduate assistant for the jazz bands, he worked with Director of Jazz Studies, Mr. Larry Panella, directing the Jazz Lab Band II, coaching various jazz combos, performing in both the Jazz Lab I and the USM Jazz Sextet, and lecturing for jazz improvisation classes. His duties for the university bands included working with the marching band, the “Pride of Mississippi,” the concert ensembles, and guest lecturing for undergraduate conducting classes. While at USM, he also served as band director at Sacred Heart Christian School located in Hattiesburg, MS.

While at the University of South Carolina, he had the opportunity to study conducting with Dr. Andrew Gowan, music theory with Dr. Dorothy Payne and Dr. Reginald Bain, jazz studies with Mr. Bert Ligon, Dr. Craig Butterfield, and Mr. Bryson Borgstedt, and private trumpet instruction with Dr. Keith Amstutz and Mr. James Ackley. Along with studying various aspects of music, David had the privilege of working with Director of Music Admissions, Jennifer Jablonski, as a Resident Advisor on campus for the Music Living and Learning Community for three years.

At USC, David performed as a trumpet player for the Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Mr. James K. Copenhaver, “The Mighty Sound of the Southeast” Marching Band under the direction of Dr. David O’Shields and Dr. George Brozak, the “Left Bank” Big Band, the “Swing Shift” Jazz Combo, the “Chosen” Gospel Ensemble, the USC Trumpet Ensemble, and other various ensembles. He also served as Drum Major of “The Mighty Sound of the Southeast,” for one season.

Mr. Carter is an active adjudicator for various marching band and concert band events. He also serves as a clinician with various middle and high schools throughout the southeast teaching various subjects including leadership development, drum major techniques, marching band fundamentals, brass ensemble performance, and jazz theory/improvisation sessions.

In addition to teaching, he has experience composing and arranging for various ensembles as well as drill design and consulting for marching bands. Recently, he began performing with a Charleston premiere variety band, “Souled Out.”  Mr. Carter’s professional affiliations include the National Band Association (NBA), The National Association for Music Education (NAfME), South Carolina Teaching Fellows, Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity, The International Trumpet Guild (ITG), The Jazz Education Network (JEN), and the South Carolina Band Directors Association (SCBDA). In his spare time, David enjoys salsa dancing, playing jazz trumpet, and watching the Food Network.

He currently serves as director of the brand new Charleston Jazz Academy located in Charleston, SC. 

Mark Rapp (trumpet) is a distinguished trumpeter, composer, arranger, didgeridoo player, recording and touring artist and has performed with such distinct artists from Branford Marsalis to country music star Darius Rucker.  Rapp has released 7 diverse recordings, and is featured on the closing track of Disney’s “Everybody Wants to be a Cat” CD. Artists such as Roy Hargrove, Dave Brubeck, Esperanza Spalding, The Bad Plus, Joshua Redman and more are also featured on this CD. Rapp’s celebrated 2009 debut release “Token Tales” (Paved Earth Music), earned him a spot as one of the “Top 25 Emerging Trumpeters” in Downbeat Magazine. His release “Good Eats” (Dinemec Jazz) had critics saying, “Rapp is quickly developing a reputation as a superb interpreter and great stylist, willing to tackle the history of this music with his eyes on the past and his mind on the present and future of this music.” – AllAboutJazz.com.

Rapp is a featured artist in Mellen Press’ “How Jazz Trumpeters Understand Their Music” among a prestigious list including Terence Blanchard, Lew Soloff, Freddie Hubbard, Tim Hagans, Dave Douglas and more. Rapp co-created and was CEO of intotheShed.com (2012-2015), an online live lessons platform servicing GRAMMY-award winners and other the top artists in jazz today. Rapp also composed and produced a jazz ballet Woven: Life in Notes and Steps. Rapp was also recently honored as SC Jazz Ambassador.

David Elliott (trombone) has taught in Illinois, Kentucky, South Carolina, and Georgia.  He started at Savannah Country Day School in 2000, where he teaches 5 jazz bands a day, middle and high school.  He has played trombone in the Savannah Music Festival with John Pizzarelli (guitar, singer), Stewart Copeland (drummer for The Police, film score composer), and Wynton Marsalis (Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra).  He has played in the Savannah Jazz Festival for the last 8 years, most recently sharing the stage with Wycliffe Gordon and Ron Wilkins, two unbelievably great trombonists.  His school bands have performed at the Music Festival a couple of times, as well as traveling to Florida to participate in jazz festivals and clinics in Jacksonville and Orlando.

Richard Orr (trombone) a native of the Pittsburgh, PA area, has been an active professional musician for sixty years, during which time he performed with numerous jazz combos, big bands, show bands and symphony orchestras, in both the Boston and Washington, DC areas. In 1970 he was lead trombonist in the Buddy Rich Orchestra, and has recorded with the Washington-based big bands of trumpeter Don Junker and saxophonist Whit Williams. His jazz quartet CD, Like an Eager Child, was released in 1999.  As an undergraduate and graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sc. D., 1973), Rich was a seven-year member of the MIT Festival Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Herb Pomeroy, noted jazz educator at the Berklee College of Music. He also studied arranging under Herb and remains an accomplished composer and arranger, as well as a jazz improv instructor. His arrangement of Invitation is found on the Don Junker CD Junkyard Dog.

Other jazz notables with whom Rich has performed during his career as a trombonist include Chick Corea, Clark Terry, Slide Hampton, Jimmy Heath, John Faddis, Al Grey, Bill Watrous (writer of liner notes for Like an Eager Child), Melba Liston, Herb Pomeroy, Bob Mastellar, Jimmy Mosher, Paul Fontaine, Greg Hopkins, Allison Miller, Virginia Mayhew, the Mike Kamuf Little Big Band, and the Ellington-influenced DC big band of Rick Henderson. He has also backed vocalists Nicki Parrott, Tony Bennett, James Brown and Gladys Knight, among others.

2020 marks Rich’s ninth year as faculty at the Hilton Head Jazz Camp