Clifton B. Brockington (Music Director) holds a B.M. in Jazz Studies from Howard University and has recorded with numerous gospel artists, including Donnie McClurkin, Fred Hammond, Andre Crouch, Richard Smallwood, and Israel, along with Mo’ Horns Ensemble. In addition to performing in 30+ cities in the United States, this native Washingtonian has traveled to Japan, London, St. Croix, and the Republic of Georgia playing jazz, R&B, and gospel music. He also regularly performs salsa music with Joe Falero and the DC Latin Jazz All-Star as well as La Leyenda. Originally known as a jazz trumpeter and pianist, Mr. Brockington has evolved into a celebrated composer, arranger, and jazz educator. He co-wrote the music to the play Roll On!, which was performed by Tony Award Winner Melba Moore at The Historic Lincoln Theater in September 2006. Mr. Brockington teaches jazz piano at the Ottley Music School in Hyattsville, MD and recently completed his first CD as a featured solo artist. (top)

Amikaeyla Gaston, proclaimed one of the “purest contemporary voices in the jazz, world and folk industry since Eva Cassidy” by National Public Radio, is a powerhouse performer and master percussionist who embraces the best of many types of music. With her soulful style, sultry ballads, and enchanting, passionate sincerity, she is a dynamic performer and is in the midst of an amazing musical journey. While the dazzling vocalist from the Washington, D.C. area draws on a dizzying array of influences, from Bel Canto, Funk and Bossa Nova to traditional Irish music, sacred chanting and soul, her sensibility is pure jazz. “I view myself as a roots jazz artist, because jazz feels so all encompassing,” says the newly transplanted Oakland-based singer. Captivating audiences since the age of 4 she began her musical training with classic piano, and went on to study flute, viola, congas, and djembe. Since then, she has been performing and recording with numerous noted Grammy Award winning artists, including Wyclef, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Take 6, Howard Levy, Eugene Friesen, Glen Velez, Baba Olatunji, Mickey Hart, Pete Seeger, Gil Scott Heron, Ron Holloway, Jonatha Brooke, Kenny Garrett, Chris Williamson, Ferron, Ubaka Hill, and the National Symphony. Ms. Gaston has a strong academic interest in sacred chanting which has led her around the world culminating in her performance at the Inaugural Festival of Sacred Chanting and Singing in India for the commemoration of the Golden Buddha at the request and invitation of His Holiness The Dalai Lama. Her 2004 release Mosaic received national acclaim, winning a staggering 10 Washington Area Music Awards, including Best Jazz Vocalist, Best Urban Contemporary Vocalist, Best World Music Vocalist, and Best Debut Artist. Her newest album “Midnight Sun,” captures Amikaeyla’s vast improvisational resources, and her penchant for artfully weaving together a myriad of international elements. Featuring grammy award-winning artists Howard Levy, the harmonica master best known for his work with Bela Fleck, Eugene Friesen of the Paul Winter Consort, and the brilliant world percussionist Glen Velez, the album is due out in the fall of 2008. (top)

Matt Jones makes his home in the jungles of North West DC. A composer, musician, and bandleader, he has been accompanying modern dance classes around the Washington area since his arrival in 1982. As a musician and composer Matt has performed original works throughout the metropolitan area with a wide variety of choreographers, dance companies, and music groups. He was the leader of Bottomland, a World Rhythm and Soul ensemble that offered rhythmic original and popular music, and produced their critically acclaimed CD “Feet of Clay”. He currently performs with singer Amikaeyla Gaston and is a long time collaborator with CityDance. Matt works as an aerospace technology policy analyst and sports a goatee. (top)

Frances Thompson McKay has received awards and fellowships from the DC Commission (including 11 Individual Artist Fellowshops), Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, MacDowell Colony, Meet the Composer. Her works have been commissioned and /or premiered by the Contemporary Music Forum, Alexandria Choral Society, Levine School, Music at St. Mark’s, Dance Place (DMA, Peabody Conservatory. Teachers: Robert Hall Lewis, Nadia Boulanger, Fernando Laires, Marjorie Mitchell, Carl Broman). Solo recitals of her works have been presented at the Corcoran Gallery by the Contemporary Music Forum, Strathmore’s American Composer Series, and by the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop. Recent Performances include: A Critcal Mass, performed at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Capitol Hill, conducted by Joel Lazar, a full length work for soprano, narrator, choir and chamber ensemble; performances of her improvised scored for the film Fraulein Else at the National Gallery and the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival; performance of works on Levine’s Encore Series, inclusion in the Waging Peace series at Catholic University. Upcoming projects include a commissioned chamber work for soprano and nine players and a collaboration with City Dance. She is presently Chair of Composition and Theory Departments and Coordinator of the Honors Program at Levine. (top)

Scott Smallwood was born in Dallas, Texas, and grew up at 10,000 feet in elevation in the Colorado Rockies. When Smallwood was 10 years old, his father gave him a cassette tape recorder, and ever since he has been fascinated by the possibilities of recorded sound. His work deals with real and abstracted soundscapes based on a practice of listening, improvisation, and phonography. Ranging from sonic photographs, studio compositions, instrumental pieces, and improvisations, the resulting pieces are often textural, always mindful of space and subtlety. He has performed with a variety of improvisors including Cor Fuhler, Joe McPhee, Phil Gelb, Todd Reynolds, John Butcher, Mark Dresser, and Pauline Oliveros. His instrumental compositions have included performances by Network for New Music, Ensemble SurPlus, the Boston Sound Collective, and the Brentano String Quartet. His work has been presented worldwide, including recent presentations at Roulette in NYC, the Atlantic Center for the Arts, the 2006 Sonic Circuits festival in Washington DC, and the Kulturhaus E-Werk in Frieberg, Germany. His work has been released on Autumn Records, Deep Listening, Televaw, Simple Logic, Static Caravan, and Webbed Hand Records. From 1997-2003, he served as studio engineer and technical director at the iEAR Studios of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he was also on the faculty teaching computer music and technical production. He holds music degrees from Miami University of Ohio, Peabody Conservatory, and Princeton University. Scott is currently living in New Jersey while pursuing a doctoral degree in the music department of Princeton University. (top)

Saleem Wayne Waters is a multi-instrumentalist who presents a fusion of international sounds. His artistry has accompanied an incredible range of musicians from the cultures of Asia, Africa, South America, North America and the Caribbean. What sounds familiar becomes new with his innovative use of the latest technology. Performances include the wind synthesizer, the mallet kat, various percussion instruments and keys. He has been the musican of choice at various events and cultural centers such as: The Emmy and Oscar Awards in Beverly Hills, CA; The Cerritos Performance Center in Los Cerritos, CA; The Lincoln Jazz Center in NY, NY; The Schomburg Center of African American Culture, Harlem, NY; The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. Mr. Water's musical travels have taken him to Brazil, London, Paris, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. (top)

Interested in CityDance?

We're interested in you too. Please take our brief survey so we can learn more about you.

Purchase a
Class Card
Crazy schedule? Enjoy the flexibility of a class card!
10 Class Card
20 Class Card
30 Class Card

CityDance Ensemble 2008-2009 Season

View our upcoming concert season and buy tickets today!

Join Our Mailing List
Sign up to receive CityDance news

More on the Web
Check us out on MySpace and Facebook

Read the new CityDance blog