Stardust Big Band, Sequim, jazz, swing, Latin jazz

Stardust Big Band Musicians

Marge Rosen

Marge Rosen

Music Director

Marge Rosen is a conductor, trumpet player and drummer. On the North Olympic Peninsula, she directs the jazz ensemble at Peninsula College, conducts the Port Townsend Summer Band, plays trumpet with Stardust Big Band, and plays trumpet and percussion with the Port Angeles Symphony Orchestra.

Marge plays lead trumpet for Seattle Women’s Jazz Orchestra and is the Executive Director of this nonprofit arts organization where she established an international jazz composition contest for women composers and an all-girls jazz workshop. She has conducted many community bands, orchestras and jazz ensembles in the Seattle area.

Marge is a former band director teaching K-12 music in public schools in Washington, New York and Maryland.

As a veteran of the United States Navy Band, she has performed for the President of the United States, numerous foreign dignitaries, and at the 1994 World Cup.

Marge has performed across the country from Carnegie Hall to Benaroya Hall and from Adak, Alaska to Lima, Peru.  She earned a masters degree in music education from Ithaca College in New York.

Tess Teel

Tess Teel

Vocalist

Singing for a live audience and taking them with me along the musical journey of a song is my joy.  Experiencing the music together is what makes it memorable, and magic.”  ~Tess
Tess found she had a good ear for music at the tender age of seven and has been singing her heart out ever since. Tess sings in a wide range of styles and languages- she enjoys performing Standards from the Great American Song Book, Bossa-Nova, Swing, Jazz, Dixieland, Country and contemporary Pop/Rock hits.  Tess’s song book includes many songs performed in with French, Portuguese, Spanish lyrics and whenever possible she strives to perform a song in the original language as the composer intended.
In addition to swing, blues, jazz and popular music, Tess has performed many major chorale works with the Canto Bello Master Chorale and was a member of the Riverside Lyric Opera in Southern California and was selected to travel and perform Die Zauberflöte (in German) as part of a musical cultural exchange program with the Ensenada Chamber Orchestra.  She has been a psalmist, cantor, and church soloist for over 25 years and sings for private engagements as well.
Tess is is honored to have been chosed to be “the voice” of Stardust Big Band and has been performing with Stardust since 2020.  When not performing with Stardust, she sings up and down the Olympic Peninsula and is equally at ease performing with accompaniment from a single guitarist or keyboard; her own Tess Teel Jazz Trio; and her 5-piece dance band “Queens & Aces”.
Tess works with many of the best musicians from Seattle and the Peninsula lending her silky, emotive vocals to many different musical groups performing in the area.
Pete Harris

Pete Harris

Drums

Pete is an in-demand drummer across the region and plays with many top jazz combos.

Steve Kirk

Steve Kirk

Guitar

Steve Kirk is a composer and guitarist based in Sequim, WA. A large portion of his work involves composing for multi-media, and he has written for a variety of ensembles and styles, with video games, a television cartoon series, and live scored performances of silent movies to his credit.

He is also an active performer in the Sequim and Peninsula jazz scene, is an arranger and producer, and runs Steve Kirk Studios, based in Sequim, WA.

Vern Fosket

Vern Fosket

Bass

Vern plays bass and trombone.  He is a retired and beloved band director at Sequim High School.  When not playing music, you can find him making lattes as a local barista. This must be how he keeps the tempo snappy.

John Wetherill

John Wetherill

Piano

Originally from Northern Alberta, John spent 25 years playing in jazz, latin, rock and country bands in the San Francisco Bay Area before making his way to Port Angeles where he’s happily immersing himself in the Olympic Peninsula music scene.

Craig Buhler

Craig Buhler

Alto Saxophone

A fixture of the Olympic Peninsula music scene for two decades, Craig Buhler is widely respected for his work with big bands, jazz combos, rock groups, church music ensembles, and as a recording artist.  He teaches woodwinds, ear training, and improvisation and has published two jazz technique books .

Craig is Music Director for The Carmel Big Band Workshop, a worship leader at Carlsborg Family Church, and a member of Peninsula Men’s Gospel Singers.  He is former director of The Stardust Big Band, The Camp Heebie Jeebies Big Bands, The Dungeness Christian Music Workshop, and a Northwest Big Band Workshop band.

Craig has been featured with singers Sarah Shea, Elinore O’Connell, and Greta Matassa, with Peninsula Friends of Music Performance, The Friends of Brubeck, and with his own jazz combo.  In addition to tributes to Dave Brubeck (at Maier Hall and other venues), he produced and starred in tributes to Pete Fountain and Stan Getz at Sequim’s Olympic Theatre Arts.

Craig is a charter member of the Laguna Beach band “Honk”, which toured with The Beach Boys, Loggins & Messinah, and others.  HONK released several highly acclaimed albums, including the popular soundtrack for “Five Summer Stories,” and continues to sell out San Juan Capistrano’s Coach House annually.  Craig has recorded with numerous other artists, and has produced 9 of his own CDs.

John Adams

John Adams

Alto Saxophone

John Adams is a multi-instrumentalist.  In addition to alto sax, he plays clarinets from Eb soprano to bass clarinet, often bringing several instruments to rehearsals and performances.  John also plays with Peninsula College Jazz Band and Port Townsend Summer Band.

Richard "Doc" Thornson

Richard "Doc" Thornson

Tenor Saxophone

Doc is an expert in the classic big band style. His solos are always inspiring and authentic. If you love big band music, don’t miss a chance to hear Doc play.

Andy Geiger

Andy Geiger

Tenor Saxophone

Andy also performs with his own jazz combo Time Out.

Al Thompson

Al Thompson

Baritone Saxophone

Al is a retired public school band director and plays jazz saxophones and doubles on clarinet, and sings with several ensembles in the Port Townsend area.  Al has been a guest artist with the Port Townsend Summer Band.

Phil Lepper

Phil Lepper

Trumpet

Phil has a patent pending method to playing lead trumpet called The Philly Method.  In his spare time, he keeps us all stocked with bread and donuts.

Ed Donohue

Ed Donohue

Trumpet

Ed Donohue is an amazing solo trumpet player.  He is in high demand performing thoroughout the area with many, many top jazz artists.  If you hear a live band this weekend with a trumpet player, it’s probably Ed.  He’s a retired band director fom Port Angeles.

Doug Brundage

Doug Brundage

Trumpet

Doug plays trumpet with several ensembles in the area including the Port Angeles Symphony Orchestra and the Sequim City Band.

On a sunny day in Sequim, look up!  You’ll probably see Doug gliding around taking in the sights.

Jeff Dingle

Jeff Dingle

Trombone

Jeff plays trombone with several ensembles on the North Olympic Peninsula including Peninsula College Jazz Band and Sequim City Band.  When not playing music, Jeff is a musical instrumet repair technician.

Wayne Paulson

Wayne Paulson

Trombone

Wayne plays trombone with several groups in the region including the Port Townsend Symphony Orchestra and Poulsbo Concert Band.

Cliff Brown

Cliff Brown

Trombone

Cliff also plays trombone with Sequim City Band. He may also be a sailor. Or a pirate.

Hannah Reed

Hannah Reed

Bass Trombone

Hannah Reed is a musician and teacher from Port Angeles. With a bachelor’s degree in music education from Central Washington University, Hannah is currently teaching K-12 music at the Crescent School District and performs with the Stardust Big Band and Port Angeles Symphony on bass trombone, as well as the Sequim Community Band on tuba.