Jazz at Lincoln Center Executive and Board Leadership

Headed by Managing and Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis, our leadership is committed to inspiring and growing audiences for jazz through performances, education, and other events.

Wynton Marsalis - Managing and Artistic Director

Jazz musician, trumpeter, composer, bandleader, advocate for the arts, and educator, Wynton Marsalis has helped propel jazz to the forefront of American culture. His prominent position was solidified in April 1997, when he became the first jazz artist to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize in music for his work Blood on the Fields, which was commissioned by Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has served as the world-renowned arts organization’s artistic director as well as music director of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (formerly known as the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra) since its 1987 inception.

At an early age, Marsalis exhibited seriousness about study, an aptitude for music, and a desire to contribute to American culture. Born on October 18, 1961, in New Orleans, Louisiana, he was the second of Ellis and Dolores Marsalis’ six sons. At age 8, he performed traditional New Orleans music in the Fairview Baptist Church band, led by renowned banjoist Danny Barker. Marsalis began studying the trumpet seriously at age 12, and gained experience as a young musician in local marching bands, jazz and funk bands, and classical youth orchestras. At 14, he was invited to perform the Haydn Trumpet Concerto with the New Orleans Philharmonic. In 1979, Marsalis entered The Juilliard School in New York City to study classical trumpet, but soon had the opportunity to sit in with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers and pursue his true love, jazz. In the summer of 1980, he joined Blakey’s band, which inspired generations of emerging jazz artists to hone their craft during its more than 30 years of existence. In the years to follow, Marsalis was invited to perform with Sarah Vaughan, Dizzy Gillespie, Gerry Mulligan, John Lewis, Harry “Sweets” Edison, Clark Terry, Sonny Rollins and countless other jazz legends.

Marsalis made his recording debut as a leader in 1982 and has since produced a catalogue of more than 40 jazz and classical recordings for Columbia Jazz and Sony Classical, which have won him nine GRAMMY® awards. In 1983, and again in 1984, he won both classical and jazz GRAMMY® awards in the same year, the first and only artist to do so. Eight new recordings in his unprecedented Swinging into the 21st series, including a 7-CD boxed set of live performances from the Village Vanguard, were released in 1999. Signing to the legendary Blue Note Records in 2004, he released The Magic Hour, his first of six albums on the label. This was followed by Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson, the companion soundtrack recording to Ken Burns' PBS documentary of the great African-American boxer; Wynton Marsalis: Live at The House Of Tribes (2005); From the Plantation to the Penitentiary (2007); Two Men with the Blues, featuring Willie Nelson (2008); He and She (2009); and Here We Go Again featuring Willie Nelson and Norah Jones (2011).

Not content to focus solely on his musicianship, Marsalis has devoted equal time to developing his compositional skills. Embraced by the dance community, he has received commissions to create major works for Garth Fagan Dance, Peter Martins at the New York City Ballet, Twyla Tharp for the American Ballet Theatre, and Judith Jamison at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. In 1995, Marsalis, with Jazz at Lincoln Center, collaborated with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center to compose the string quartet At the Octoroon Balls. This partnership was renewed in 1998, to create a response to Stravinsky's A Soldier's Tale with the composition A Fiddler's Tale. In 1999, Marsalis presented his most ambitious work to date, All Rise, an epic composition for big band, gospel choir, and symphony orchestra, performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Kurt Masur along with the Morgan State University Choir and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. A recording of All Rise, featuring the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra along with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Morgan State University Choir, the Paul Smith Singers and the Northridge Singers, was released on CD in 2002 by Sony Classical. Marsalis’ rich body of compositions also includes In This House, On This Morning, an extended piece based on the form of a traditional gospel service, commissioned and premiered by Jazz at Lincoln Center in 1992; Big Train, commissioned and premiered in 1998 by Jazz at Lincoln Center; and 1999’s Them Twos, his first symphonic work and the second collaboration between Jazz at Lincoln Center and the New York City Ballet. To mark the 200th Anniversary of Harlem’s historic Abyssinian Baptist Church in 2008, Marsalis composed a full mass for choir and jazz orchestra. The piece premiered at Jazz at Lincoln Center, followed by performances at the church. His second symphony, Blues Symphony, premiered in 2009 with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, followed in 2010 by the Boston Symphony Orchestra. That same year, his third symphony, Swing Symphony, a co-commission by the New York Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and The Barbican Centre, premiered with performances by The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis with the Berlin Philharmonic in Berlin, the New York Philharmonic in New York City, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic in Los Angeles (in 2011).

Marsalis’ commitment to improving people’s lives through music, and his contribution to the arts, paints a portrait of his character and humanity. He is internationally respected as a teacher and a spokesman for music education, having received honorary degrees from 29 of the nation's leading academic institutions, including Columbia, Brown, Princeton, and Yale universities. He conducts educational programs for students of all ages and hosts the popular Jazz for Young People concerts produced by Jazz at Lincoln Center, which spawned the first-ever comprehensive jazz appreciation curriculum for 4th–9th grades. His educational activities also include the annual Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition and Festival, which has reached more than 3,500 bands in North American and Australia, and the Band Director Academy. Marsalis writes, and is the host of, the video series Marsalis on Music, and the radio series Making the Music. He has also written six books: Sweet Swing Blues on the Road (W.W. Norton, 1994), in collaboration with photographer Frank Stewart; Jazz in the Bittersweet Blues of Life (Da Capo, 2001), with Carl Vigeland; To a Young Musician: Letters from the Road (Random House, 2004), with Selwyn Seyfu Hinds; Jazz ABZ: An A to Z Collection of Jazz Portraits (Candlewick, 2005), illustrated by poster artist Paul Rogers; Moving to Higher Ground: How Jazz Can Change Your Life (Random House, 2008), with Geoffrey C. Ward; and Squeak, Rumble, Whomp! Whomp! Whomp!, illustrated by Paul Rogers (Candlewick, 2012). In 2001, Marsalis was appointed as a United Nations Messenger of Peace by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan; he has also been designated cultural ambassador to the United States of America by the U.S. State Department through their CultureConnect program. In 2009, Marsalis was awarded France’s Legion of Honor, the country’s highest order. He also has been awarded the Congressional Horizon Award, the French Grand Prix du Disque, the Louis Armstrong Memorial Medal, the Netherlands' Edison Award, and the Algur H. Meadows Award for Excellence in the Arts, and has received countless plaques as well as keys to more than 50 cities. He has been inducted into the American Academy of Achievement, and was dubbed an “Honorary Dreamer” by the I Have a Dream Foundation. He also has received a citation from the United States House of Representatives for his outstanding contributions to the arts. Marsalis serves on New Orleans mayor and former Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu's National Advisory Board for Culture, Recreation and Tourism, a group formed to assist plans to rebuild Louisiana’s tourism and cultural economies after Hurricane Katrina, and is a member of the Bring New Orleans Back Commission, former New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin's initiative to help rebuild the city culturally, socially, economically, and uniquely for every citizen. He was an instrumental part of the Higher Ground Hurricane Relief concert, produced by Jazz at Lincoln Center, which raised over $3 million for the Higher Ground Relief Fund to benefit the musicians, music industry-related enterprises, and other individuals and entities from the areas in Greater New Orleans who were impacted by the storm. Marsalis donates his time and talent to non-profit organizations throughout the country, including From My Sister's Place (a shelter for battered women), Graham Windham (a shelter for homeless children), the Children's Defense Fund, Amnesty International, Sloan-Kettering Cancer Institute, Food For All Seasons (a food bank for the elderly and disadvantaged), Very Special Arts (an organization that provides experiences in dance, drama, literature, and music for individuals with physical and mental disabilities), and the Newark Boys Chorus School (a full-time academic music school for disadvantaged youths). For his many achievements, Time Magazine selected Marsalis as one of America's most promising leaders under age 40 in 1995, and in 1996 Time celebrated Marsalis as one of “America's 25 Most Influential People.” He also was named one of "The 50 Most Influential Boomers" by Life Magazine.

In 1987, Marsalis co-founded a jazz program at Lincoln Center. In December 1996, the Lincoln Center Board rewarded the jazz department's significant success by voting it a full constituent, equal in stature with the ten other organizations on campus including the New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera and New York City Ballet—a historic moment for jazz as an art form and for Lincoln Center as a cultural institution. Jazz at Lincoln Center has developed an international agenda with up to 500 events annually around the world. Under Marsalis’ direction, Jazz at Lincoln Center programming offers performances, lectures, film forums, dances, television and Peabody Award-winning radio broadcasts, recordings, and music publishing. In October 2004, thanks to efforts led by Marsalis, Jazz at Lincoln Center opened its new home, Frederick P. Rose Hall, the first education, performance, and broadcast facility devoted specifically to jazz. As Jazz at Lincoln Center’s artistic director and as music director of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Wynton Marsalis continues to spread the spirit of swing and raise awareness of jazz in the consciousness of the American public and the world.

Greg Scholl - Executive Director

Greg works for Wynton Marsalis at Jazz at Lincoln Center. In Greg’s role as Executive Director, he collaborates with Wynton and the Board on long term strategy and planning and manages the budgeting, staffing and organization, and day-to-day operations of this storied American institution. This include oversight of its three venues in the Time Warner Center and club in Shanghai, presentation and sale of its concert season, growing catalogue of music and video distributed through owned label Blue Engine Records, twelve education programs, and jazz advocacy initiatives, including the annual Jazz Congress.

Prior to joining Jazz at Lincoln Center, Greg was the President of Local Integrated Media at NBC Universal. Before that, Greg built digital music and video distributor The Orchard and was its President and Chief Executive. Under Scholl's leadership, The Orchard emerged as one of the world's largest and leading digital media companies. During his tenure, The Orchard was recognized by Deloitte as the 33rd-fastest growing company in North America across all market segments. The Orchard was purchased by Sony Music Entertainment. Greg started his career as a media and technology consultant and has served as an Associate Partner at management consulting firm McKinsey & Company and a Principal in the media and entertainment practice of Booz Allen & Hamilton. During the first internet boom, Greg ran an early-stage venture capital fund, Carlin Ventures, investing in Silicon Alley media and technology start-ups.

Scholl graduated from Harvard College with an A.B. magna cum laude in History and Science. He resides in New York City with his wife and their two children.

Clarence Otis - Chairman of the Board

Clarence Otis Jr. is the retired chief executive officer of Darden Restaurants, Inc., a position he held from 2004 to 2014. An S&P 500 company, Darden is the world’s largest full-service restaurant company with annual revenues that exceed $8 billion and its brands are Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, The Capital Grille, Bahama Breeze, Seasons 52, Eddie V's and Yard House.

Under Mr. Otis’s leadership, Darden achieved industry-leading operating and financial results and in 2011 became the first full-service restaurant company to be named one of Fortune magazine’s 100 Best Places to Work, a distinction it was awarded for four consecutive years. Mr. Otis started at Darden in 1995, joining the company as treasurer, before becoming chief financial officer, then president of its Smokey Bones brand and, ultimately, CEO and Chairman. Prior to Darden, he led the municipal securities group of Chemical Securities, Inc. (a predecessor of JP Morgan Securities, Inc.). A member of the New York Bar Association, Mr. Otis began his professional career as a securities attorney in New York City, practicing for four years before entering the financial services industry.

Mr. Otis serves on the board of directors of VF Corporation (since 2004), chairing the Audit Committee; Verizon Communications, Inc. (since 2006), where he is currently the independent lead director and previously chaired the Human Resources & Compensation Committee; the Travelers Companies (from 1999 to 2004 and since 2017); Union Square Hospitality Group (since 2017); and Jazz at Lincoln Center (since 2011). He is also a member of the National Board of Governors of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America (since 2014); recently retired from the board of trustees of Williams College (from 1999 to 2004 and 2012 to 2019); and is a current member of the board of trustees of Cleveland Clinic (since 2015). Mr. Otis has a JD from Stanford Law School (1980) and a bachelor's degree from Williams College (1977), where he graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa and been recognized with an honorary degree (2009). In 2007, Mr. Otis was inducted as a lifetime member of the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans.

Mr. Otis, who was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, grew up in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles. He is married to Jacqueline Bradley (since 1983) and they have three children, Calvin (born in 1989), Randall (born in 1992) and Allison (born in 1992).

Chairman Clarence Otis, Former CEO of Darden, heads Jazz at Lincoln Center’s board of directors, joined by a distinguished group of leaders from all facets of society who are committed to our mission of expanding jazz’s global reach.

Board of Directors

2021-2022

Clarence Otis, Chairman; Former CEO, Darden 

Shahara Ahmad-Llewellyn, Vice Chair; Commissioner

Robert J. Appel*, Chairman Emeritus; President, Appel Associates 

John Arnhold, Former Chairman and CIO, Arnhold LLC

Nancy Axilrod Denton, General Counsel (Retired), Tapestry, Inc. 

Peter Berger, Co-Founder and Partner, Siris Capital Group

Jessica M. Bibliowicz, Chairman of the Board of Overseers of Weill Cornell Medicine 

Richard M. Cashin, Interim Treasurer; President, One Equity Partners 

Kenneth Chenault, Former Chairman & CEO, American Express; Chairman & Managing Director, General Catalyst 

Diane Mulcahy Coffey, Vice Chair; Strategic Advisor  

Betsy Levitt Cohn, Philanthropist and Director of The Betsy & Alan D. Cohn Foundation

Harry Crosby, Partner, Trilantic Capital Partners North America

Gordon J. Davis, Founding Chairman; Partner, Venable

Jeanette M. Davis-Loeb, Founder & CEO, Rising Oak Foundation

Fritz Demopoulos, Founder, Queen's Road Capital 

Loren R. Douglass

Gail May Engelberg, Vice Chair; Trustee, The Engelberg Foundation

Mica Ertegun, President and Owner, MAC II

Michael D. Fricklas, Secretary; Chief Legal Officer, Advance Publications, Inc.

Peter Friedland

Buzzy Geduld, CEO, Cougar Trading

Derek Goodman

Donna Golkin

Taylor G. Abbey, Vice President, Institutional Marketing and Investor Relations, Ariel Investments

David Jaffe, Retired Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Ascena Retail Group, Inc.

Jeffrey B. Kindler, CEO, Centrexion Therapeutics 

Eric Krasnoff

Greg Marcus, President and CEO, The Marcus Corp.

Wynton Marsalis, Managing & Artistic Director, Jazz at Lincoln Center

Edward H. Meyer, Chairman & CEO, Ocean Road Advisors, Inc.

Steven Miller, Musician

Gbenga Oyebode, Chairman, Aluko & Oyebode

Charles E. Phillips, Jr., Chairman of the Board of Directors, Infor Global Solutions

Richard Reitknecht, Executive Vice President, Asia Pacific Land Global Headquarters

Mark Rosenthal, Chair, Executive Committee; Former CEO, Katz Media Group 

Ian Schaefer, Partner, Loeb & Loeb; Chair, New York Employment & Labor 

Lisa Schiff, Chairman Emeritus; Managing Director, After Nine Holdings

Paul C. Schorr, IV, Senior Managing Director, One Equity Partners

Barry F. Schwartz, Executive Vice Chairman, MacAndrews and Forbes

David Steward II, CEO, Polarity Ltd.

Dr. Emiko Terasaki 

Robbi Toll

Faye Wattleton

William L. Zeckendorf, Co-Chairman, Zeckendorf Development, LLC

Wilbur Zou, Managing Partner, BDA China Limited

Ex-Officio Members

Hon. Eric Adams, Mayor of the City of New York

          Stephen R. Aiello, Designee 

Hon. Mark Levine, President of the Borough of Manhattan

           Courtney Lee-Mitchell, Designee 

Hon. Adrienne E. Adams, Speaker of the New York City Council

           Kevin R. McCabe, Designee 

Board Representative

Sherman Irby, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra

Emeritus Director 

Hughlyn F. Fierce, Retired Banking Executive, JPMorgan Chase

Co-Assistant Secretary and Counsel

Deirdre Davis, Vice President & Senior Counsel – Trademark and Copyright, General Counsel’s Organization - IP Law & Strategy Group, American Express

_*deceased

The people you don’t see on stage, who help make it all possible.

Wynton Marsalis
Managing and Artistic Director

Greg Scholl
Executive Director

Georgina Javor

Vice President 

Concerts and Touring

Jason Olaine 

Vice President 

Programming

Todd Stoll
Vice President
 Education

Gabrielle Armand
Vice President
 Brand, Sales, and Marketing

Pamela Butler
Vice President
 Development

Susan Gordon
Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
 Finance

Doug Hosney
Vice President
Frederick P. Rose Hall

Nancy Gallagher
Vice President
Sales and Special Projects

Julio Castaing
Chief Human Resources Officer
Human Resources and Administration