Staff & Board

Meet the Team

John Gilbreath
John GilbreathExecutive Director
Inspired by Earshot’s distinctive programming while volunteering for its 1990 festival, John Gilbreath’s ongoing immersion into the Earshot Jazz organization’s incredible output and success has generated international recognition and profound community connections. His deep dive into Seattle’s legendary music scene generates ever expanding waves of opportunity through education, audience development, and artist-support initiatives; years of monthly publications; and the legacy of nearly 3,000 concert programs, including 33 years of Seattle’s major annual jazz festival. John Gilbreath has also broadcast for 25+ years on both KEXP and KBCS radio, curated a jazz collection for a regional library system, and programed several other festivals and jazz series in the region. And he is an active student of stone sculpture.
Karen Caropepe
Karen CaropepeManaging Director
Since 2005, Karen Caropepe has been the mechanics behind the scenes; administering grants, keeping the books, raising funds, handling memberships, selling tickets, supporting productions, coordinating volunteers, creating and organizing publications, getting the word out through marketing and publicity, mentoring interns, and training and supporting staff. If something needs to be done, she does it. Caropepe relishes her opportunity to directly help artists and bring attention to their work. Caropepe’s dedication to arts education led her to join the founding board of Jazz Night School 2012. She served as an officer, including two years as president until 2016. Currently, Caropepe serves as Treasurer on the South Hudson Music Project board. Caropepe graduated with a BA from Texas A&M University.
Lucienne Grace
Lucienne GracePatron Services Manager
Lucienne Aggarwal is excited to support a vibrant jazz community in her role with Earshot Jazz. She joined Earshot Jazz in April 2018 and helps manage the office along with marketing, database management, website and social media organization, fundraising, maintaining artist contracts, managing the magazine archives project, handling box office at concerts, as well as organizing the digital publishing of the monthly Earshot Jazz magazine. Lucienne Aggarwal, passionate about supporting the local arts community, has volunteered for various Seattle arts organizations. She researched and wrote articles for the theater review website, Drama in the Hood and for two literary organizations: Hugo House and Seattle Arts & Lectures. Her poetry has been published in Spindrift arts magazine. In 2017, she graduated from the University of Washington with a B.A. in English and Creative Writing.
Rayna Mathis
Rayna MathisEarshot Jazz Editor
After moving to Seattle in 2014, Rayna has dedicated herself to serving Seattle’s youth & arts scene and is forever in awe/gratitude for the communities she’s found within them. She is a graduate of the University of Washington and was named The Washington Art Education Association’s 2018 Outstanding New Art Educator of the Year. She’s presented nationally on the following topics: Questioning the Progress: Millennial Women Discuss Gender, Racial Equity, and Inclusivity (American Alliance of Museums) and Career Days: The Un-Sugar-Coated Version of Working in Art Museums (National Art Education Association). Rayna currently serves on KEXP’s Community Advisory Board, Seattle Music Commission’s Youth + Community Committee, and the Seattle Jazz Fellowship Board.
Halynn Blanchard
Halynn BlanchardProduction Manager
Halynn is an event producer, writer, and small business owner who has served on Pacific Northwest artist relations teams for AEG (The Showbox, Summer Meltdown), STG (THING Festival), The Triple Door, and Earshot Jazz. Now in her sixth year producing Earshot Jazz Festival, she celebrates the opportunity to steward jazz as a black American art form in Seattle, the unceded land of the Duwamish and Coast Salish Peoples, who were the original stewards of the land, and acknowledges this work comes second to stewarding the present lives of Black America. She considers her background as a journalist, once an editor of Kenyan news startup Habari Kilifi, foundational to her role as a communicator of creator’s stories.

Board of Directors

Maurice James
Maurice JamesPresident
Maurice James is a 2nd time resident of Seattle, drawn to the city’s vibrant and energetic scene, encouraged by its love of the performing arts & culture, and its thriving volunteer community. He is a Marketing Executive with T-Mobile having worked in the telecommunications field both here in the US and abroad in South Africa. In addition to serving on the board of Earshot Jazz, he also serves on the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound Board of Directors. When he’s not taking in a local performance or checking out a new-local dining experience, you’ll find him hopping a plane traveling to some international destination ready to take in a new experience.
Jazmyn Scott
Jazmyn ScottVice President
Jazmyn Scott is the Executive Director of ARTE NOIR, former Director of Programs & Partnerships for LANGSTON, co-founder of 50 Next: Seattle Hip-Hop Worldwide, a digital “time capsule” highlighting Seattle and Northwest Hip-Hop, and co-curator of The Legacy of Seattle Hip-Hop exhibit at the Museum of History & Industry; which won the 2016 American Association for State & Local History (AASLH) Leadership in History award. She currently serves as board vice president for Earshot Jazz and The Residency, as well as several community arts advisory boards.
Chris Icasiano
Chris Icasiano
Christopher Icasiano is a Filipino-American percussionist and composer. He grew up in Redmond, Washington and has been playing drums since he was eight years old. While studying jazz at the University of Washington, Christopher developed an interest in free-improvisation, experimental, and avant-garde music, which has informed his musical approach ever since. As a curator, he creates mind-expanding experiences featuring unconventional music in club environments. He co-founded the Racer Sessions, a weekly performance series, and the arts organization Table & Chairs. His chicken adobo is delicious, he has run three marathons, and his current karaoke song is Luther Vandross’ “So Amazing.”
Kelly Clingan
Kelly Clingan
Kelly Clingan is the former education director at Seattle JazzED. A graduate of Roosevelt High School and the University of Washington, she is rooted in Seattle’s celebrated tradition of music education. In 2016, Kelly was named the University of Washington GWSS Alumni of the Year for her work on gender equity in jazz and in 2018 she served on the ‘Expanding Opportunities to Learn Jazz in After-School’ Taskforce at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Kelly plays trombone in Banda Vagos, a traditional Mexican Banda, performing through the Puget Sound area on a Weekly Basis.
Ruby Love
Ruby Love
Ruby Love is a transformational business leader who was honored to be asked by a friend to support Earshot Jazz. She is an entrepreneur and strategist known for advocating for socially responsible business and community organizations. Her career has afforded relationships that have brought much needed philanthropic support to the arts, education, STEM, social services, and advancing philanthropy. She enjoys advising emerging entrepreneurs to unlock the keys to building a better world with racial equity and social justice always front and center. Her love of artists in live performance, jazz, a great book, golf and her active family fill her days.
Neil Halpern
Neil Halpern
Neil Halpern has worked as a professional engineer in acoustics, working on performance venues and recording studios, as well as general architectural, and environmental sound projects. Halpern’s career went in a different direction when he moved into software engineering, architecture, and product development. He’s served on several boards, including the Roosevelt Jazz Boosters, which provides financial support for its high school jazz program where several of his kids have played and also found their love of music. Although not an active musician, Halpern has played in many orchestras and sung in many choirs over the years.

Emeritus Board Members

Clarence Acox
Sue Coliton
Taina Honkalehto
Viren Kamdar
Hideo Makihara
Kenneth W. Masters
Peter Monaghan
Lola Pedrini
Richard Thurston
Paul Toliver
Cuong Vu