Vocal Jazz Faculty

Atla DeChamplain, Vocal Jazz Workshop Director, is a jazz vocalist, lyricist, and educator known for her compelling sound and sincere interpretations of jazz standards. A Connecticut native, she studied at the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz at the Hartt School of Music and earned her Master’s degree from the University of Toledo, where she was mentored by the legendary vocalist Jon Hendricks. Specializing in vocalese—the art of setting lyrics to instrumental jazz solos—Atla is recognized for her original lyrics, expressive phrasing, vocal control, and authenticity on stage. 

Her musical voice is a blend of American idioms, drawing from jazz, blues, gospel, and R&B. She credits her artistic development to the influence of Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Jon Hendricks, Louis Armstrong, Kurt Elling, Dianne Reeves, Mel Tormé, Bobby McFerrin, José Feliciano, and Nat King Cole, as well as the lyrical legacies of Iola Brubeck, Billy Strayhorn, Burt Bacharach, and Fred Rogers. Atla has performed with many of her musical heroes, including Jon Hendricks, Kurt Elling, Lawrence Hobgood, José Feliciano, Paul Keller, and Steve Davis. Atla acknowledges the privilege to follow such luminary artists in the traditions of Black American music.

Alongside her husband, jazz pianist Matt DeChamplain, Atla co-leads a band that reimagines the Great American Songbook and presents original compositions. Together, they have appeared at renowned venues and festivals across the country, including Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola and the Louis Armstrong House Museum (NYC), the Bop Stop (Cleveland), the Provincetown Jazz Festival (Cape Cod), Steinway Gallery (Detroit), the Monterey Jazz Festival (CA), the Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz (CT), and the American Stage Theatre Company (FL), among others. In 2015, Atla released her debut album Pause, which featured guest performance by Jon Hendricks. Her additional recording credits include work with Emmett Goods, Earl MacDonald, Norman Johnson, Jeff Fuller, Grayson Hugh, Jason Anick, and others.

A devoted educator, Atla serves as Associate Professor in Amplified Voice at the University of Rhode Island, where she teaches jazz and gospel music. She also teaches for the Yale University Jazz Collective. Previously Atla has held adjunct teaching positions at the Hartt School of Music, Western Connecticut State University, Southern Connecticut State University, and Capital Community College. She is a frequent clinician and advocate for inclusive, student-centered jazz education, and she authors a blog for aspiring jazz vocalists. Currently, Atla is working on a book about learning, writing, and performing vocalese.

Cincinnati, Ohio native, Jiana Hunter. Ms.

Hunter is licensed Vocal music educator, performer, worship leader, songwriter, arranger and vocal coach. She enjoys performing: Jazz, Soul Gospel/Praise and Worship, and Classical music. As a formerly trained Music Educator of Choral music and Vocal Jazz, Jiana enjoys developing the natural and skilled gifts of the young and young at heart. Ms. Hunter holds degrees in Jazz Studies performance (MM – Western Michigan University) and Music Education

(BME – Kentucky State University).

As a veteran music educator, Jiana was the 1st Vocal Jazz Director for the new Vocal Jazz division of the Memphis Jazz Workshop in Memphis, Tn. Ms. Hunter has taught collegiate and grade school music for notable programs including Detroit, Children’s Choir, Visible Music School, Oakland University, Arts League of Michigan, Stax Music Academy, The School for Creative and Performing Arts (Cincinnati, Ohio), Marvin L. Winans Academy of Performing Arts (Detroit, Mi) and currently Detroit Public Schools Community District. She also hosts music workshops for churches and universities on vocal technique and music style. (Notably Middle Tennessee State University hosted by Cedric Dent)

To her featured Jazz credits, Jiana performed and produced an Ella Fitzgerald Tribute concert as a part of a legendary jazz series hosted by Crosstown Arts in Memphis, Tn. Jiana also performed in the first Jazz Musical, The Real Ambassadors, a story based on Louis Armstrong as the U.S. Ambassador who toured with his band and female vocalist, Carmen McRae. Her arrangements have been performed and/or recorded with students from Memphis Jazz Workshop, Gold Company (WMU), The School for Creative and Performing Arts, (Cinti, Ohio) Marvin L. Winans Academy of Performing Arts (Detroit, Mi) and Stax Music Academy, Memphis, Tn. Available on all digital music platforms, Jiana’s her first Gospel Jazz single “True Love” gives a glimpse of her spiritual, traditional and smooth jazz influences. Her forthcoming debut album entitled “For You” will take you on a delightful, musical and spiritually inspired journey!

Recognized in the vocal jazz performance and scholarship worlds, Ellie Martin is a highly respected vocalist, composer, educator, and Jazz studies scholar. She is currently the vocal jazz instructor at the University of Toledo, as well as Toledo School for the Arts. She performs a wide variety of repertoire from Brazilian music, American Songbook, Bebop, as well as her original compositions. A fearless improviser, Ellie delivers songs with individuality, passion, and honesty. Career highlights include performing at the Pittsburgh Jazz Festival, the Sunset Jazz Festival, and the Michigan Jazz Festival. She was the featured vocalist with the National Arab Orchestra in San Antonio Texas, and performed alongside jazz luminaries Geri Allen, Terri Lynne Carrington, Esperanza Spalding, the New York Voices, Jon Hendricks, and Afro Blue.  Her debut solo album Verdant, was released in May of 2023. The project is a collection of all original compositions that reflect on her experiences as a woman, a mother and a cancer survivor, and features Grammy nominated pianist and vocalist Peter Eldridge, Israeli guitarist Ariel Kasler, bassist Kurt Khranke, and Costa Rican multi-percussionist Olman Piedra.

From an early age, Ellie had a deep interest in jazz. In 2008 she completed her bachelor’s degree in voice at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, where she studied with Ranee Lee, and performed at the Upstairs jazz club. In 2010, she completed a master’s degree in vocal jazz performance at the University of Toledo. While at UT, Ellie worked closely with the legendary lyricist, vocalist and distinguished Professor of Jazz, Jon Hendricks, and wrote her master’s thesis on his early life and the formation of Lambert, Hendricks & Ross.  In addition to Hendricks, Ellie studied with and performed regularly with legendary Detroit pianist, Claude Black, and bassist Clifford Murphy at Murphy’s jazz club. In 2016, she earned her PhD in Jazz Studies from the University of Pittsburgh, where she studied with Dr. Nathan Davis, and Professor Geri Allen. Her dissertation explored how vocal group Lambert, Hendricks & Ross mediated the vocal and instrumental roles in jazz, while simultaneously navigating race and gender roles at the height of the Civil Rights movement. Ellie has given several national and international lectures on the vocal jazz historiography, ranging from topics of improvisation, intersections between voice and instrument, vocalese, and the formation of vocal jazz groups. Her background in Jazz Studies and performance make her a unique and distinctive educator and performer.    

April Tini is a vocal educator and solo artist. She recently completed her eleventh year as an adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Music at Wayne State University. She has also held faculty positions at Berklee College of Music, Northwestern University, Western Michigan University and Oakland University, where she taught voice and directed jazz and show choirs as well as musical theater productions. April has worked as a clinician, adjudicator, guest conductor and performer throughout North America, Europe and Japan. April is currently the director of choirs and musical theater at Orchard Lake Middle School in West Bloomfield, Michigan.

April has sung on national television and radio commercials and with the symphony choruses of Boston and Chicago. She received her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from Western Michigan University, where she directed Gold Company and GC II. April is also a clinician on the staff of Show Choir Camps of America. April continues to perform in jazz groups, and she is active as a writer, director, performer and clinician in today’s vocal jazz and show choir movement.