Trombonist Jen Krupa, a Juilliard alumna and accomplished jazz musician, has returned to The Juilliard School as a faculty member. With a career that includes performances with the Navy Band Commodores, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, and the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, Krupa now serves as conductor of the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra.
Krupa expressed her enthusiasm about returning to her alma mater in a leadership role. “I’m excited and humbled to be back at Juilliard. The students’ musicianship and artistry are at such a high level, and I’m so proud of the alumni who continue to have a profound impact on the jazz scene,” she said.
She emphasized her commitment to fostering both innovation and practical skills among students. “I want to encourage innovation and creativity, in addition to preparing the students for the professional world. There are concrete, tangible skills they need, but we also need to challenge their thought processes, promote collaboration, and encourage critical thinking as they both listen to music and create it. The music they play and write must be intentional and true to their creative vision,” Krupa explained.
Earlier this season, Krupa led the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra in a program featuring swing bands from the 1920s and 1930s such as Fletcher Henderson’s ensemble and Count Basie’s orchestra. She described how she helped students connect with early swing music: “While the notes and rhythms on the page may resemble those of a modern big band chart, the interpretation of early swing music is quite different. This music was originally played for dancers, so we really focused on capturing its feel. Because the students were less familiar with this era, we needed to internalize the early swing style; we started with active listening, moved on to singing our parts, and even took a swing dance lesson to match the physical elements with the intellectual and emotional ones. Once they stopped overthinking the notes and started feeling the swing, everything locked in and the joy and energy of the music came alive!”
Krupa highlighted student support within Juilliard’s jazz program: “What I love most is the way our students support each other. As artists, we can be our own toughest critics; but as they grow through this process, they’re learning how to extend grace to others and to themselves.”
She also noted that while Juilliard Jazz students arrive highly motivated with deep roots in tradition, faculty aim to expand their horizons by introducing new artists and repertoire.
Looking ahead in her role as conductor of JJO later this season at Dizzy’s Club—a well-known New York City jazz venue—Krupa previewed an upcoming series celebrating arrangers who worked with Dizzy Gillespie: “Our final concerts of the season will be a one-week run at Dizzy’s Club, and the theme is Dizzy’s Arrangers. Dizzy Gillespie was a founding father of bebop and a pioneer of Afro-Cuban jazz, but he was also dedicated to mentoring the next generation and advancing the jazz tradition. We will highlight some of the incredible arrangers who wrote for Dizzy’s bands like Gil Fuller, Tadd Dameron, Quincy Jones, Melba Liston, and many others. It’s going to be a powerful celebration of Dizzy’s legacy.”
The article was written by Joshua Simka (BM ’14), assistant editor at Juilliard.
