Jennifer Krupa

California native Jennifer Krupa (Artist Diploma ’03, jazz studies) attended the University of North Florida to study with Rich Matteson, Bunky Green, and Jack Peterson, graduating with a bachelor’s in jazz studies. She stayed in Florida to work for Universal Studios and Walt Disney World, performing with the Studio Brass and Show bands at Disneyworld as well as with the Benny Goodman Orchestra under the direction of Bob Wilbur, the Larry Elgart Orchestra, and the St. John’s River City Brass Band.

A scholarship offer at the New School brought Krupa to New York in 1998. After attending for one year, she took a break to freelance in the city, then was accepted into Juilliard’s inaugural jazz studies class in 2001, studying trombone with Wycliffe Gordon and arranging with Ellington aficionado David Berger. While at Juilliard, she performed with the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Victor Goines at Alice Tully Hall, at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, and at various locations in New York City. She also performed with and composed for the Juilliard School Small Group Jazz Ensemble.

While in New York, Krupa also performed with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Davis Berger’s Sultans of Swing, the Wycliffe Gordon Quintet/Sextet, the Warren Vache Quintet, the Blue Saracens, the New York Ragtime Orchestra, and the Choro Ensemble, in addition to leading her own small group.

In 2003, Krupa won a position in the prestigious IAJE Sisters in Jazz Collegiate Quintet, with which she performed at the IAJE Convention in Toronto; the Kennedy Center; Jazz à Vienne in Paris; the NorthSea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands; and the Umbria Jazz Festival in Italy. That same year, she attended the Henry Mancini Institute, where she studied and/or performed with Patrick Williams, Christian McBride, Arturo Sandoval, Andy Martin, and Bill Cunliffe while performing with the orchestra, big band, and small groups in concert in the Los Angeles area.

In 2004, Krupa won a job with the United States Navy Band Commodores jazz ensemble. Since joining the Commodores, she has participated in five national concert tours and performed with Branford Marsalis, Chris Potter, Bill Watrous, Seamus Blake, Eddie Daniels, Mike Vax, Antonio Hart, and Jane Monheit. The Commodores have recorded two of Krupa’s arrangements: “Freight Trane” on 2005’s 3 Shades of Blue, and “Four on Six” on Directions, released in 2009.

Since moving to Washington, D.C., Krupa has formed her own group, JLQ, with saxophonist Leigh Pilzer. JLQ is inspired by the duo collaborations of such pairs as Gerry Mulligan and Bob Brookmeyer, J. J. Johnson and Kai Winding, and Al Cohn and Zoot Sims. In addition, Krupa has played regularly with the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, led by musical director David Baker, and continues to perform and record with Sherrie Maricle and the DIVA Jazz Orchestra.

In 2006, she conducted the University of Scranton Concert Band and Choir in a performance of her compositions, commissioned for the 23rd annual World Premiere Composition Series Concert.

Krupa earned her master’s in jazz studies from the University of Maryland in 2010.