Carolbeth True

Carolbeth True is a very active member of the St. Louis musical community, as both a performing artist and teacher. She is heard regularly in concerts and clubs. Her group, The Carolbeth Trio, performed at the Adam's Mark Hotel for three and a half years, followed by two and a half years as house band at Jazz at The Bistro, alternating with national touring acts.

Carolbeth's piano studies began at age three with her mother, the late Carol Miles. In college, she studied with Evelyn Mitchell at the University of Missouri-St. Louis as part of a music performance/education degree program. Since that time, Carolbeth has built an extensive private teaching practice, both jazz and classical and is a long-term member of the Webster University music faculty.

She has backed a variety of noted artists: Warren Vache, Terry Gibbs, Buddy deFranco, Bobby Shew, Scott Hamilton, Harry Allen, Mel Torme, Tex Beneke and the Modernairca, Four Lads, Ink Spots, Ann Hampton Callaway, and Roseanna Vitro, among others.
Carolbeth was rehearsal pianist/assistant musical director with the St. Louis Muny for over twenty years. She has served as musical coordinator for the Buckeye Harmonica Festival in Columbus, Ohio and SPAH-The International Harmonica Festival and Convention for the past six years. Carolbeth was a member of the ISIA (International Summer Jazz Academy) faculty in Krakow, Poland and is an original member of the cast of "The Jazz Story", a one hour overview of jazz history, mounted and performed at the Sheldon Concert Hall.

In addition to The Carolbeth Trio, she performs with the Randy Holmes Quintet (a.k.a. Hard Bop Heritage), Sessions Big Band, Webster Jazz Repertory Ensemble and Trinity Jazz.

She was the 2004 recipient of the St. Louis Magazine "Musician of the Year" Award, as well as the Owen Miller Award, presented for service and dedication, by Local 2-197 of The Musicians' Union.

She has also performed piano concertos with the Webster Symphony, Washington University Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony and the Florida Spacecoast Pops. She has performed numerous times with the St. Louis Symphony.

She is heard on several CDs: The Carolbeth Trio, True, New World Harmonica Jazz and two Keith Ellis Sessions CDs. Her son David recently received a music business degree from DePaul University in Chicago and has returned to St. Louis, working as a financial consultant, as well as teaching and playing percussion and drum set.

Gene Dobbs Bradford

In February 1999, Gene Dobbs Bradford became the Executive Director of Jazz at the Bistro, a Saint Louis-based not-for-profit jazz program. During that time he is credited with building the organization's contributed and earned income from $375,000 to $820,000 today. He has vigorously begun new and exciting initiatives in education and community outreach. Mr. Bradford was recently selected as one of the St. Louis Business Journals “40 Under 40”, top young business leaders in the St. Louis community.

An accomplished musician himself, Mr. Bradford holds a degree in Double Bass performance for the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY where he was accepted after only 9 months of private study. While studying double bass with renowned Double Bass virtuoso, James Vandemark, Mr. Bradford served as principal double bass for the Eastman Philharmonia and the Round Top Festival Chamber Orchestra as well as playing bass with the Eastman Jazz Lab Ensemble. From 1989-1990 Mr. Bradford was a Fellow in the American Symphony Orchestra League’s Orchestral Management Fellowship Program, where he had the distinction of being one of the youngest fellows to ever be accepted to that prestigious program. During his fellowship, Mr. Bradford worked with the Cleveland Orchestra, the New Mexico Symphony and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. After completing his fellowship, Mr. Bradford accepted the position of Production Manager for the Honolulu Symphony, a position he held until 1993. During this time, he made his debut as a narrator when he was called in at the last minute to substitute for Richard Chamberlin to narrate Dan Welcher’s “Haleakala: How Maui Snared the Sun.” He went on to narrate another 14 performances of the piece and 28 performances of “Peter and the Wolf.” As Production Manager, he produced many concerts at various locations around the islands including a special benefit concert on the hurricane-ravaged island of Kauai for the victims of hurricane Iniki. In 1994, Mr. Bradford was chosen as Operations Manager of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, in 1995 he was promoted to Director of Operations and undertook responsible for facility management for the orchestra’s 2 main facilities, Powell Symphony Hall and the Saint Louis Symphony Community Music School. Among his accomplishments during his time with the Saint Louis Symphony were the successful completion of six domestic and two international tours and increasing earned revenue from concession by 250%. He had also narrated several works with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra including Stravinsky’s “L’historie du Soldat” under the direction of Maestro Hans Vonk “Peter and the Wolf” and Britten’s “Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.”