Kenny Rittenhouse
kenny@bbj-youthorchestra.org
Kenny Rittenhouse has led his own jazz quartet for the past 20 years, performing in and around the Washington, DC area. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Trumpet at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland. He has performed with many great jazz artists including Larry Willis, Ralph Peterson, Don Braden, Buck Hill, and Steve Wilson. He is a member of The Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra and had a 30 year career as a member of The U.S. Army Blues Jazz Ensemble in Washington, DC, the premier band of the U.S. Army.
Bob Murad
Bob is a pianist, composer and recording artist who has performed as both a leader and sideman in numerous jazz venues throughout Washington DC, New York, and the Midwest. He debuted his well-received 2015 CD “The Observer” as a band leader. Bob lives in Washington, DC where he performs, composes and teaches jazz piano and improvisation.
Fred Foss (1949-2019)
Our Founding Music Director, Fred Foss was a native New Yorker who started studying music at the age of 19. He performed with the Lionel Hampton Orchestra, Hugh Masekela, Dollar Brand, Tito Puente, Patti Labelle, The Temptations, and The Four Tops. Foss also worked with the National Symphony Orchestra and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. He taught music at the Filmore School and the University of Maryland. Fred created the Fred Foss Youth Orchestra which performed in Cuba’s Havana Jazz Festival. Foss enjoys teaching his knowledge and wisdom to young musicians who, in many cases, become professional musicians. In 2019, the DC Jazz festival honored Fred with it Lifetime Achievement Award.