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About Us
History
The Sapphire Jazz Ensemble was started in 2023 by Nichole Heglund. As a woman in jazz herself, Nichole recognized that men dominated the jazz scene in Reno. She decided to create a place where women could come together, play jazz, and have fun! Since then, the Sapphire Jazz Ensemble has played multiple gigs around the Reno area and has even commissioned their own composition - "Sapphire Dance" by Annie Booth.
Mission
Our mission is to inspire girls of all ages to continue in jazz. Our hope is that by continuing to play music around town, that girls will see a place for themselves in the jazz scene.
Our Group
Our group is made up of both professional musicians and women who play just for fun. We are composed of music educators, business women, musicians and students that span many decades of ages. But most important of all - we have fun!
Special Thanks
We extend our gratitude to the Reno Jazz Orchestra and Vernon Scarbrough for their incredible support, providing rehearsal space, and allowing us the use of equipment.
We thank Rachael Cowell and Reno High School as well as Nathaniel Myers and Billinghurst Middle School for providing rehearsal space.
Special thanks to Cheryl DeRosa, Barb Molt, Jessika Smith, Cami Thompson, Erika Paul, and Caryn Neidhold for generously donating music.
We appreciate Gary Mayne, Chris Clark, Dylan Coleman-Tunstall, Hans Halt, Andy Heglund, Josh Reed, David Brennan, and Jessika Smith for sharing their time and expertise throughout the past year.
A huge thank you goes to Missy Mazurowski for all of her time and the design of the Sapphire website.
Many thanks to Sarah Nelson @sarah.n.designs for designing our logo and to Jennifer Mannix and volunteers for their assistance at performances.
Collaborations
Sapphire has collaborated with Anisha Rush, Jessika Smith, Sara Caswell and many musicians from the Reno Jazz Orchestra.
Director / Founder
Nichole Heglund - Director
Originally from Denver, Nichole moved to Reno and began teaching music in 2003. Over the years, she has taught and inspired students in jazz ensembles, middle and high school bands and choirs in the Washoe County School District. Her groups have been honored with spotlight performances, including the 2019 Reno Jazz Festival. Nichole directs the Reno Youth Jazz Orchestra and is the Education Director for the Reno Jazz Orchestra. She is also the founder and director of Sapphire Jazz Ensemble, an all-women big band in Northern Nevada. Nichole is a saxophonist, guest conductor, active clinician and adjudicator in Northern Nevada and California.
Saxophones
Jessica Dodge-Overstreet - Alto 1
Jessica Dodge-Overstreet - Alto 1
Jessica Dodge-Overstreet - Alto 1
Jessica Dodge-Overstreet is a classical saxophonist and educator from Carson City, NV, who has performed across the United States as well as internationally, appearing as a soloist with the University of Oregon Symphony, Northern Nevada String Serenade, Reno Wind Symphony, and others. Jessica has also performed as a member of the Reno Phi
Jessica Dodge-Overstreet is a classical saxophonist and educator from Carson City, NV, who has performed across the United States as well as internationally, appearing as a soloist with the University of Oregon Symphony, Northern Nevada String Serenade, Reno Wind Symphony, and others. Jessica has also performed as a member of the Reno Philharmonic, Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra, and Sunriver Festival Orchestra. She has held faculty positions at Mesa Community College and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and currently teaches classical saxophone asnd music theory at the University of Nevada, Reno.
When not playing saxophone, Jessica can be found reading, running, or hiking with her son, Antonio.
Caitlin Hoon - Alto 2
Jessica Dodge-Overstreet - Alto 1
Jessica Dodge-Overstreet - Alto 1
Caitlyn Hoon is a saxophonist who has rediscovered her love of playing music after a years-long hiatus. After finishing her degree in Environmental Science at UNR, she jumped back into playing music in the community. You may also find her playing clarinet and bass clarinet in the Reno Pops Orchestra. She is passionate about the environmen
Caitlyn Hoon is a saxophonist who has rediscovered her love of playing music after a years-long hiatus. After finishing her degree in Environmental Science at UNR, she jumped back into playing music in the community. You may also find her playing clarinet and bass clarinet in the Reno Pops Orchestra. She is passionate about the environment, good food, travel, spending time with her loved ones, and her little cat named Mimolette.
Natalia Tomasello - Tenor 1
Jessica Dodge-Overstreet - Alto 1
Natalia Tomasello - Tenor 1
Natalia Tomasello is a dedicated music educator with a decade of teaching experience. Born and raised in Truckee, California, she currently serves as the Band Director at Alder Creek Middle School. Natalia earned both her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Music from California State University, Fresno.
In addition to her work in the class
Natalia Tomasello is a dedicated music educator with a decade of teaching experience. Born and raised in Truckee, California, she currently serves as the Band Director at Alder Creek Middle School. Natalia earned both her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Music from California State University, Fresno.
In addition to her work in the classroom, she is actively involved in professional organizations. She serves as Vice President of the California Music Educators Association (CMEA) Northern Section Board of Directors and is a committed member of P.E.O., a philanthropic organization that supports women in pursuing higher education.
Natalia has performed with the Truckee Community Choir and the Truckee Haunted Historical Society, and she continues to share her passion for music through community engagement. Outside of her professional life, she enjoys hiking, golfing, skiing, singing, and traveling. She also loves performing tenor saxophone with the band Sapphire.
Leslie Stockholm - Tenor 2
Missy Mazurowski - Baritone
Natalia Tomasello - Tenor 1
Missy Mazurowski - Baritone
Missy Mazurowski - Baritone
Missy Mazurowski - Baritone
Missy is from the Bay Area in California. She moved to Reno in 2015 where she attended the University of Nevada Reno. Missy started playing music at the age of six and played alto / bari saxophone through middle and high school. She is currently a member of the Reno Wind Symphony and is a software engineer in her spare time.
Trumpets
Open Position - Trumpet 1
Rachel Perkins - Trumpet 3
Open Position - Trumpet 1
Joi Cerveri - Trumpet 2
Rachel Perkins - Trumpet 3
Open Position - Trumpet 1
Rachel Perkins - Trumpet 3
Rachel Perkins - Trumpet 3
Rachel Perkins - Trumpet 3
Open Position - Trumpet 4
Rachel Perkins - Trumpet 3
Rachel Perkins - Trumpet 3
Trombones
Carol Gribbin - Trombone 1
Kate Kirkpatrick - Trombone 2
Kate Kirkpatrick - Trombone 2
Carol has a Bachelor of Music Performance from San Francisco State University. She attended Tanglewood Brass Institute Summer Program as well as the Keystone Summit Brass Institute, where she brought her quintet, The Pacific Brass, to perform. While at the Keystone Brass institute she performed as auxiliary brass with the Festival
Orchestr
Carol has a Bachelor of Music Performance from San Francisco State University. She attended Tanglewood Brass Institute Summer Program as well as the Keystone Summit Brass Institute, where she brought her quintet, The Pacific Brass, to perform. While at the Keystone Brass institute she performed as auxiliary brass with the Festival
Orchestra, featuring Doc Severinsen at the famous Red Rocks Amphitheatre. She has been a member of the Berkeley Symphony, the Napa Symphony, and the Bay Area Women’s Philharmonic. Here in Reno, she has performed with the Reno Philharmonic, Reno Municipal Band, and Nevada Opera. She currently plays in the Biggest Little Big Band, the JG Kicks Big Band and the Battle Born Brass dectet in addition to the Sapphire
Jazz Ensemble.
Kate Kirkpatrick - Trombone 2
Kate Kirkpatrick - Trombone 2
Kate Kirkpatrick - Trombone 2
Kate Kirkpatrick is thrilled to play trombone with Sapphire Jazz. In her day job, she's the Director of Marketing and Communications at Truckee Meadows Community College. She also serves as the Delta B Province Officer for Sigma Alpha Iota women's music fraternity, is on the Advisory Board for Note-Able Music Therapy Services, and she pla
Kate Kirkpatrick is thrilled to play trombone with Sapphire Jazz. In her day job, she's the Director of Marketing and Communications at Truckee Meadows Community College. She also serves as the Delta B Province Officer for Sigma Alpha Iota women's music fraternity, is on the Advisory Board for Note-Able Music Therapy Services, and she plays ukulele at First Congregational Church of Reno. Her musical family includes her husband, Jay (trombone), and their two sons, Jimmy (french horn) and Aaron (percussion).
Hailey Carpenter- Trombone 3
Kate Kirkpatrick - Trombone 2
Hailey Carpenter- Trombone 3
My name is Hailey Carpenter I just graduated from a high school in WA and moved back to Reno to start fire academy. I was born in a little place in CA called Cameron park. I moved to Reno when I was 4 years old and went to coral academy up until Covid, and did all of high-school living with my dad in WA . I started playing instruments whe
My name is Hailey Carpenter I just graduated from a high school in WA and moved back to Reno to start fire academy. I was born in a little place in CA called Cameron park. I moved to Reno when I was 4 years old and went to coral academy up until Covid, and did all of high-school living with my dad in WA . I started playing instruments when I was in 5th grade. I started with stringed instruments and percussion, after a year I realized a lot of people were in percussion so I wanted to learn a wind instrument. I moved to flute, I played flute 6th grade to current. I started expanding my instruments in 8th grade when I picked up piano, tenor and alto sax, trumpet, and got into drum line. Once I started high school I played in the wind ensemble on flute, sophomore year I joined jazz and played tenor, junior year to senior year I played trombone and made first chair the first year. I was in marching band for three years played piccolo, then sophomore year I was in drum line. I’m a firefighter currently going through EMT training. Other than Sapphire, I’m in the Reno Wind Symphony and I play flute in that group. I’m a big bundle of joy and I like to mess around with friends and go for long car rides. I love going out and I love playing music, I couldn’t ask to be in another group. I love S
Elizabeth Jones - Trombone 4
Kate Kirkpatrick - Trombone 2
Hailey Carpenter- Trombone 3
Rhythm Section
Erika Paul - Piano
Willemina Dukes - Drums
Julie Machado - Bass
From San Francisco California, working jazz pianist, singer and songwriter Erika Paul can be found performing often for festivals, concerts, art exhibitions, corporate events, hotels, restaurants and clubs across northern Nevada, California, Hawaii, France and England.
Her numerous recordings as a self-published independent music artist ar
From San Francisco California, working jazz pianist, singer and songwriter Erika Paul can be found performing often for festivals, concerts, art exhibitions, corporate events, hotels, restaurants and clubs across northern Nevada, California, Hawaii, France and England.
Her numerous recordings as a self-published independent music artist are available through all major digital and physical music platforms.
In 2001, she was called to help prepare young jazz musicians and singers to perform big band music and to work for and with Wynton Marsalis and Ted Nash in the Truckee and Tahoe California areas as a part of the Lincoln Center Essentially Ellington Jazz Education Program.
Erika holds her AA degree in general music from the College of San Mateo and her BA degree in Jazz Performance from San Jose State University.
Website: www.thejazzlady.com
Julie Machado - Bass
Willemina Dukes - Drums
Julie Machado - Bass
Julie Smyres Machado is a professional musician - a bassist with the Reno Phil, also
playing jazz, folk, classical, and more, and she sings! Her jazz trio, The Jazzettes USA
performs locally for festivals and events, and includes Discover Jazz: a musical journey
of jazz through the decades which she wrote, presented by the Reno Phil. Julie l
Julie Smyres Machado is a professional musician - a bassist with the Reno Phil, also
playing jazz, folk, classical, and more, and she sings! Her jazz trio, The Jazzettes USA
performs locally for festivals and events, and includes Discover Jazz: a musical journey
of jazz through the decades which she wrote, presented by the Reno Phil. Julie loves
playing musicals and has performed over 100 in her career, mostly at UNR and
WNMTC. Julie manages public and museum libraries, co-created and teaches
Lifescapes senior memoir writing classes, and loves to do music, art, reading, writing,
and quilting with people of all ages. Julie is proud to be one of the founding members of
Sapphire and getting to hang out and play jazz with such talented women.
Caryn Neidhold - Bass
Willemina Dukes - Drums
Willemina Dukes - Drums
Caryn Wiegand Neidhold is a performer, teacher, composer, and arranger. In addition to playing upright and electric bass with Sapphire Jazz Ensemble, Caryn plays viola with the Reno Philharmonic and violin with the Reno Chamber Orchestra. She teaches orchestra at Billinghurst Middle School and is at the forefront of teaching eclectic st
Caryn Wiegand Neidhold is a performer, teacher, composer, and arranger. In addition to playing upright and electric bass with Sapphire Jazz Ensemble, Caryn plays viola with the Reno Philharmonic and violin with the Reno Chamber Orchestra. She teaches orchestra at Billinghurst Middle School and is at the forefront of teaching eclectic styles to middle school string students, including jazz, fiddle, and rock. Caryn is a published composer and arranger for educational ensembles with two books and over fifty pieces available with noted publishers such as Carl Fischer and Alfred. Playing in Sapphire fulfills a lifelong desire to return to playing bass in a jazz ensemble.
Willemina Dukes - Drums
Willemina Dukes - Drums
Willemina Dukes - Drums
Heyyy! My name is Willemina Dukes and I’m stoked to play the drums for Sapphire Jazz Ensemble. It’s an honor to play with such a talented group of women. I’m from Incline Village, Nevada and am currently a junior at Incline High School. I am the President of Tri-M Music Honors Society and also run the Jazz Combo Club at my high school. I
Heyyy! My name is Willemina Dukes and I’m stoked to play the drums for Sapphire Jazz Ensemble. It’s an honor to play with such a talented group of women. I’m from Incline Village, Nevada and am currently a junior at Incline High School. I am the President of Tri-M Music Honors Society and also run the Jazz Combo Club at my high school. I also play the drums in the Reno Youth Jazz Orchestra. Aside from my passion for jazz music, I also enjoy snowboarding, skateboarding and competitive swimming.
Cami Thompson - Vocal/Percussion
Cami Thompson - Vocal/Percussion
Cami Thompson - Vocal/Percussion