Passionate about their vision of creating unique jazz program for teens, Paul and Christine Romaine founded CCJA (Colorado Conservatory for the Jazz Arts) in late 1999 as a partnership. Six students registered for the first small group session, where they met weekly during the school year and performed under the guidance of a professional jazz musician mentor. The program continued to grow and in 2003, CCJA became a Colorado nonprofit organization, granted 501(c)(3) status in 2004.

The original “Small Group Program” has expanded to several locations across the Front Range including Denver (where CCJA is headquartered), Boulder County, and Fort Collins. CCJA now includes over 100 students in its programs throughout the academic year and summer. In the 20 years since its inception, CCJA has served several thousand teenagers, many of whom have gone on to forge successful careers as jazz artists or carry a deep appreciation for jazz into adulthood.

For this special performance, the CCJA Jazz Messengers will be joined by two artists that need no introduction to Denver jazz fans. Through their association with CCJA, they mentor these students on their jazz journey…the outstanding talents of trumpeter Greg Gisbert and pianist Eric Gunnison!