Julie Baker is known as one of the most talented and versatile vocalists to hit the Omaha Music Scene. What some may be surprised to know is that this versatile songstress was born and raised on a farm in the Sand Hills of Central Nebraska. She sang for her first talent contest at the age of 5 during a 4th of July celebration in her hometown of Ericson, Nebraska and wowed the audience. From that moment, she was known as the small-town girl with the big voice. Born into a musical family, it was evident that Julie had inherited musical gifts that could not be denied. While listening to her older sister take voice lessons, she learned to imitate the techniques of a Classical Singer and soon learned that she had a voice with few limitations and had the ability to sing in a variety of styles and genres including Country, Pop, Classical, Jazz, Blues and R&B. She joined her first band when she was 15 and traveled throughout Nebraska with her Mother by her side at every show. She spent a portion of her high school years attending the National Academy of Arts in Champaign, Illinois where Advanced Music and Dance students learned and honed their craft. Julie received her Bachelor of Music Education Degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. While maintaining a professional singing career, Julie has worn many many hats as an Educator, Choreographer, Director, Vocal Coach, Adjudicator, Song Writer and Recording Artist. She has also served as a Music Educator for over 20 years and has passed her wealth of knowledge and expertise on to her students while maintaining her professional singing career. You can find her voice on YouTube singing the Official State Song “Beautiful Nebraska” which is utilized in classrooms all over the state. You will also hear her voice ringing throughout many large arenas at sporting events singing the National Anthem. She released her first single “Stand By Me” in the Fall of 2017 and produced the music video in 2018. Currently she performs her own big band show with the 17-piece Ozone Big Band and continues to perform throughout the State of Nebraska. Julie’s talents are not limited to her own productions as she also is the owner of her own Entertainment Company JULIE BAKER ENTERTAINMENT which specializes in music and video production. |
Dennis Strawn is a freelance flautist, clarinetist and saxophonist. A former member of the Glenn Miller Orchestra, he has been gracing the stages in Omaha for the last 25 years. He has the pleasure of playing with the finest musicians in the Midwest and performs with a variety of groups including duos to 17-piece big bands. He is currently the director and manager of the 17-piece Ozone Big Band, which plays every Monday night at the Ozone in Omaha, Nebraska. |
Jennifer Novak Haar is a freelance pianist based in Omaha. She plays with a variety of Jazz combos as well as her own group, Novak & Haar, and performs with the Omaha Symphony, the Omaha Chamber Music Society, and for Broadway touring productions. She is a music director for several local theaters, including the Omaha Community Playhouse. Jennifer recently played at the Kulturnacht in Braunschweig, Germany and toured with the Mannheim Steamroller Christmas national tour. She graduated from the Oberlin Conservatory and was a Fulbright scholar at the Musikhochschule in Würzburg, Germany. |
Mark Haar is an active freelance bassist in the Omaha area. He has played with the Omaha Symphony, was the Principal Bassist of the Sioux City Symphony, and he is currently a member of the Lincoln big bands including the Nebraska Jazz Orchestra, the Bluffs Big Band, the Las Vegas Lab Band, the Omaha Big Band, and numerous small groups. He has also performed with blues bands, pop/rock bands, worship bands and musical theater pit orchestras including the Broadway touring productions of Wicked, The Book of Mormon, Billy Elliot, Chicago, White Christmas, The Phantom of the Opera, Beautiful, Something Rotten, The Sound of Music, Pippin, and Grease, as well as for numerous musical theater productions at the Omaha Community Playhouse. With Mark's own jazz group, Novak & Haar, he has recorded “A Summer’s Carol,” and “A Winter’s Carol," and “Old Friends." All three of these albums have received both national and international attention. In November of 2019, Mark joined Mannheim Steamroller’s 35th Christmas tour. Along with performing, Mark has taught electric bass guitar and double bass at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Iowa Western Community College, Grace University, and Nebraska Christian College. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Coe College in Cedar Rapids, IA and a Masters of Music degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. |
Jim Schweigert is a freelance trumpet player in the Omaha area for over 20 years. Originally from Pierre, South Dakota, he received a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from the University of South Dakota. Currently he plays with the Ozone Big Band, Bob Fields Swingtime, Brian England’s Groove Prescription, and frequently plays with other groups ranging in styles from blues, jazz, rock, and funk. Jim also plays monthly jazz church services, has played with numerous choirs in the area such as the River City Mixed Chorus, and frequently performs at the Omaha Community Playhouse. In addition, Jim previously has played with the South Dakota Jazz Orchestra, Nebraska Jazz Orchestra, Bluffs Big Band, Omaha Big Band, Des Moines Big Band, Marcus Lewis Big Band from Kansas City, and was featured in a quartet with legendary trombonist Curtis Fuller at the Art Farmer Jazz Festival. |
Jon Burlingham has been a professional musician for nearly 45 years. He earned a Master of Music Performance degree from Emporia State University at Emporia, KS. He has played in bands backing a long list of stars, including Mel Torme’, Gladys Knight, The Spinners, Marilyn Maye, Don Rickles, and Rich Little. He toured the world with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra conducted by Buddy Morrow for 2-1/2 years and taught Summer Jazz Camps with Clark Terry for 6 years. Jon was a member of the Omaha Press Club Show Orchestra for 10 years. For the last 7 years, Jon has been playing every Monday night with the Ozone Big Band now under the direction of Dennis Strawn, and is a founding member of the Salsa band called Esencia Latina, which has won the Best Of Omaha “World Music” category several times. When not performing, Jon works as an Information Security Architect at Conagra Brands, where he has worked since 1986. He has two adult children pursuing their dreams!
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Ron Cooley's career as a guitarist and composer spans six decades. Early influences were the Beatles, Chet Atkins, Andre Segovia and a multitude of jazz artists such as Wes Montgomery and Kenny Burrell. Ron has studied with guitarists Mick Goodrick, Eliot Fisk, Oscar Ghiglia and Ricardo Iznaola and has performed on countless stages in the United States, Canada and Europe. Touring highlights include performing on NBC's Today Show and Tonight with Jay Leno, ABC's Good Morning America, the Regis and Kathy Lee Show and for President Clinton and president Bush at the National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony in Washington DC with the Mannheim Steamroller. He has appeared at the Wolftrap Theater in DC in the "Yellowstone Music of Nature" concerts and also as a solo artist at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In the 70's, he appeared on Don Kirschner's Rock Concert, NBC's Midnight Special and Nashville's Grand Ole Opry as guitarist for the country artist, C.W. McCall. To date, Ron has eight solo recordings spanning an eclectic blend of instrumental jazz, pop, classical and contemporary acoustic guitar compositions.
Ron has been an adjunct and/or part-time instructor at Creighton University, University of Nebraska Omaha, College of St. Mary’s and Iowa Western College. He has served as a clinician for BluesEd and CAP jazz projects in Omaha and as a mentor for the Bellevue University Fine Arts Masters degree program. Ron has just retired as a member of Mannheim Steamroller after celebrating his 34th year of working with the group. He currently performs regularly in the midwest with Adams and Cooley’s “Ratpack Jazz”, Pam and the Pearls. Trumpeter Darryl White of Lincoln and also the Susie Thorne trio. Ron is also guitarist for the Sacred Heart “Freedom Choir” every Sunday morning. Ron was inducted into the Nebraska Music Hall of Fame in June 2019. |
Doug Montera hails from Colorado Springs, Colorado. He earned his Bachelor of Music degree in Percussion Performance from the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music. Upon graduating, Doug accepted an offer for a position in the United States Air Force as a musician. During his twenty-two years as an Air Force drummer/percussionist, Montera enjoyed performing across the United States, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Most notably at the Guinness Jazz Festival, the Copenhagen Jazz Festival, the Caspian Sea Jazz Festival, numerous European jazz ensemble tours, the Royal Albert Hall, and for U.S. troops serving around the globe. After retiring from the military, Doug and his wife decided to stay in Nebraska and continue raising their two children. The Omaha music scene has kept him busy over the last decade where he has found himself playing with local professional jazz artists, blues bands, top 40 cover bands, musical theater productions, recording projects, and he even worked, in a short stint, with The World Famous Glen Miller Orchestra. Montera is currently the Drum Set Instructor at the University of Nebraska Omaha, where he teaches applied drum set lessons along with jazz master classes. |