Our Teaching Staff
César Bauvallet
Renowned trombonist, percussionist (congas, bongos, timbales, batá drums, as well as drumset and hand percussion), singer, composer, arranger and bandleader César Bauvallet is most widely known as the leader of Albuquerque’s most popular 9-piece Salsa band, Son Como Son as well as Tradiciones. Originally from Cuba, César graduated from the renowned Amadeo Roldán Conservatory in Havana in 1981. He has been a music educator and professional performer for more than 30 years. We are proud to welcome him to our Faculty in the Spring of 2013.
Kanoa Kaluhiwa
Tenor saxophonist Kanoa Kaluhiwa was born in Hawaii, but spent his formative years in Las Cruces, New Mexico. While still a high school student, Kanoa played professionally and was awarded two scholarships to the Eastman School of Music summer Sessions in New York. Upon graduation from high school, he was awarded a scholarship to the Berklee School of Music in Boston where he spent two years studying jazz performance and music theory under George Garzone and Joe Viola among others. He is currently teaching private lessons at Baums Music. One of New Mexico’s most sought after saxophonists, he currently performs every Thursday night with the Pat Malone Group at La Posada in Santa Fe.
Rodney Bowe
Rodney Bowe has been a popular, working, New Mexico-based professional bassist, vocalist and band leader for over 40 years. He studied jazz bass at Eastern New Mexico University and the University of New Mexico and has studied with Ray Brown, Abraham Laboriel, and Gary Willis. Bowe recently performed with the nationally acclaimed Ron McCurdy Langston Hughes Project.
Paul Gonzales
Paul Gonzales began his professional career in 1984 as Jazz Trumpet Soloist with the Army Band of New England. He has worked extensively with New Mexico groups including Tetragon, Son Como Son, Jackie Zamora’s Brazilian Jazz Quintet, the New Mexico Jazz Latino Orchestra, the Albuquerque Jazz Orchestra, Doug Lawrence’s Nuevos Mexicanos and more. He has backed up nationally touring Jazz, Salsa, and Pop artists for the past 25 years and taught adult & youth Jazz Combo classes at Outpost for 7 years. He also hosted the Monday Jazz Show on KUNM-FM for 13 years.
Artha Meadors
Artha Meadors, a Burque native, has spent 28 years playing the electric bass guitar across a wide range of genres. As a teenager, he played bass and drums in jazz and rock bands while studying gospel and R&B. Artha has a deep passion for all types of music, including metal, country, jazz, gospel, and the avant-garde.
Previously an instructor in the Empowerment Through Music (ETM) Program, Artha is now the Program Coordinator, where he leads efforts to foster music education and empowerment within the community, sharing his musical expertise and helping to inspire students.
Michael Anthony
Michael Anthony built his reputation and his chops as a professional studio musician in Los Angeles and was a second-generation member of the famed “Wrecking Crew.” He has recorded and performed with a who’s who of artists, including Tony Bennett, Nelson Riddle, Henry Mancini, Johnny Mandel, The Beach Boys, Peggy Lee, Diana Ross, Barbara Streisand and the LA Philharmonic under Zuben Meta. Anthony currently performs regularly around New Mexico and teaches guitar and master classes on both the secondary and university levels.
Zenobia
Singer, songwriter and recording artist Zenobia began her singing career in her church choir in Los Angeles where she taught herself to play the piano at five years old and wrote her first song at eight. She debuted in the LA company of the rock musical, HAIR when she was just eighteen, after which she joined the original Broadway company in New York. A studio singer on sessions and live gigs, her 2015 CD, Resurrection, won a New Mexico Music Award for “Best of the Year” and her song, “Glory,” won Best Gospel Song in 2014.
Frank Leto
Award-winning educator Frank Leto is a master of Brazilian percussion, Afro-Cuban rhythms, and the lively steel drums of Trinidad. As the driving force behind his band PANdemonium, Frank performs vocals, steel drums, and percussion, weaving together an irresistible blend of reggae, ska, soca, calypso, samba, salsa, and zouk. His original compositions create a colorful, high-energy sound that’s all his own.
Micky Patten
Micky Patten has a degree in music from the University of Minnesota and did graduate work in Jazz Studies at Oakland University. One of the most in-demand bassists on the New Mexico scene, he was previously the owner of Grandma’s Music and Sound for over thirty years.
Patty Stephens
Patty Stephens teaches voice from her private studio as well as being a faculty member at NMJW. She teaches music classes to pre-schoolers and has developed a wonderful program of community music-making for families with infants and toddlers. Patty is lead singer in Bert Dalton’s award-winning band, The Brazil Project.
Henry Estrada
Trumpeter Henry Estrada was band director at Los Lunas High School for over 30 years and is a member of the Albuquerque Jazz Orchestra. He was named Outstanding Music Educator by the National Federation of State High School Music Educators Association and was inducted into the New Mexico Music Educators Association Hall of Fame.
Robb Janov
A multi-style violinist, educator, composer and actor, Robb Janov is the founder of the national award-winning innovative music education program, “Rock and Rhythm” for underserved public school students. The 25-year program’s success, featured on the PBS Newshour, Colores, and local newscasts, has served as a model for other music programs throughout the country. Known for his electric violin and vocal ‘live-looping’ performances, Janov has performed with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and Indiana University’s orchestras.