A powerhouse trumpeter,
gifted with a
soulful voice and
a charismatic onstage
swagger, Byron
Stripling has delighted
audiences internationally.
THE FLORIDA OR 46 CHESTRA | 2018-2019
As soloist
with the Boston Pops
Orchestra, Stripling
has performed frequently
under the
baton of Keith Lockhart,
as well as been
a featured soloist on the PBS television special,
Evening at Pops, with conductors John Williams
and Lockhart. Currently, Stripling serves as artistic
director and conductor of the highly acclaimed Columbus
Jazz Orchestra.
Since his Carnegie Hall debut with Skitch Henderson
and the New York Pops, Stripling has emerged
as one of America’s most popular symphony pops
guest artists, performing with the Boston Pops, National
Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Cincinnati
Pops, and Dallas Symphony, to name a few. He has
been a featured soloist at the Hollywood Bowl and
performs at jazz festivals throughout the world.
An accomplished actor and singer, Stripling was
chosen to star in the lead role of the Broadway
bound musical Satchmo. Many will remember his
cameo performance in The Young Indiana Jones
Chronicles and his critically acclaimed performance
in the 42nd Street production of From Second Avenue
to Broadway. Millions have heard his trumpet
and voice on commercials, theme songs, and
soundtracks.
Stripling earned his stripes as lead trumpeter and
soloist with the Count Basie Orchestra under the direction
of Thad Jones and Frank Foster. He has also
played and recorded extensively with the bands of
Dizzy Gillespie, Woody Herman, Dave Brubeck, Lionel
Hampton, Clark Terry, Louis Bellson, and Buck
Clayton.
Stripling was educated at the Eastman School of
Music and Interlochen Arts Academy. A resident of
Ohio, Stripling lives in the country with his wife,
Alexis, and their beautiful daughters.
Miche Braden is a
singer, actor, musician,
songwriter,
arranger, and musical
director. She is a
product of the rich
musical heritage
of her hometown,
Detroit, Michigan,
where she was an
artist in residence
with the Detroit
Council of the Arts,
the founder and former
lead singer of the women’s jazz band Straight
Ahead, and a protégé of Motown musicians Thomas
“Beans” Bowles, Earl Van Dyke, and Harold McKinney.
Braden was a member of the band Rough Magic in
the critically acclaimed play The Tempest, an A. R. T.
production that debuted in Las Vegas. She served
as musical director for the South Coast Repertory
production in Costa Mesa, California, earning her an
LA Critics nomination. She provided vocal arrangements
for Spike Lee’s Da Sweet Blood of Jesus, and
she has also appeared on Law & Order SVU.
She has appeared in and served as music director/
arranger in The People’s Temple, Gee’s Bend, The
Bluest Eye, and Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill.
International credits include Gone with the Wind
and The Devil’s Music at the Royal Manitoba Theatre
Center in Winnipeg, the Damian Foundation Gospel
tour through Belgium and France, and Absolute
Gospel Festival concerts in Lyon, France.
She has been nominated for the Drama Desk, Lucille
Lortel Carbonell, Off Broadway Alliance, Audelco
and Connecticut Critics awards. She is featured
on the James Carter’s Gardenia’s For Lady Day and
At The Crossroads. Her CD, Diva Out Of Bounds, can
be found on iTunes.
Her performance is forever dedicated to the memory
of her mother, Dr. Mildred J. Dobey.
BYRON STRIPLING
Trumpet
MICHE BRADEN
Vocalist