JUDGES
Dave Becker
Dave Becker has been on faculty at Cuesta College since 2001. He teaches Recording Arts, Rock, World and Jazz Appreciation as well as Applied Music. Dave has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in music education from the University of Florida. He is an active professional musician on the Central Coast fronting music ensembles of various jazz genres. In addition to his past and current college teaching experience at Cuesta College, Allan Hancock College, Cal Poly, and the University of Pikeville, KY, Dave has also been a clinician at the Gordon Goodwin Big Phat Band Camp and other camps and schools throughout Florida and along the West Coast. Lately, Dave has enjoyed producing virtual concerts for local schools and community choirs.
Talia Ortega
Talia Ortega is a local multi-instrumentalist, dancer, and perpetual student. She has performed in venues such as Carnegie Hall and alongside great musicians such as Dave Douglas, Wayne Bergeron, Donny McCaslin, and Grammy Award winner Louie Ortega. She is currently a vocalist with the Cal Poly Arab Music Ensemble and Calpoly Jazz Ensemble. Talia plays first flute with the Cal Poly Symphony and is a member of the San Luis Obispo Jazz Collective. She also plays flute with the Black Market Quintet and utilizes both her flute and voice in the Datenight Duo. Talia is a former winner of the SLO Jazz Federation’s Young Jazz Scholarship and continues to study and perform in the county.
Arthur White
Arthur White is a nationally renowned saxophonist, composer and educator. He is assistant professor of music and director of jazz studies at Cal Poly.
Previously, White was the director of jazz studies at the University of Missouri (MU) and Northeastern State University (NSU) in Oklahoma. While at MU he produced six critically acclaimed recordings by the MU concert jazz band. The MU jazz ensembles were selected to perform at: International Society for Music Education conference, Jazz Education Network international conferences, International Society for Improvised Music conferences and the Missouri Music Educators Assoc. conference.
White earned a BA in music from Emporia State University, a Master of Music in jazz pedagogy from West Virginia University and a Doctor of Musical Arts in saxophone performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
