Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance at The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music
Applying to the Institute of Jazz Performance
The 2024 application cycle for the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance Class of 2027 is now closed. The next application cycle for the Class of 2029 will begin in mid-2026.
About the Institute of Jazz Performance
One of the Institute’s earliest goals was to create a unique college-level jazz program where the masters of jazz could pass on their expertise to the next generation of jazz musicians. In September 1995, the Institute of Jazz Performance was launched and the first class of seven students began their intensive training with some of the world’s greatest musicians.
The Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance is a tuition-free two-year program that accepts one ensemble of musicians for each class. All of the students receive full scholarships, as well as stipends to cover their monthly living expenses. The students study both individually and as a small group, receiving personal mentoring, ensemble coaching, and lectures on the jazz tradition. They are also encouraged to experiment in expanding jazz in new directions through their compositions and performances. The program is currently in residence at the prestigious UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music.
The Institute of Jazz Performance students and instructors present a number of major concerts and community outreach programs throughout the United States and overseas. International highlights include performances and teaching engagements at the White House; at annual International Jazz Day programs in Saint Petersburg, Russia; Havana, Cuba; Melbourne, Sydney and Mt. Gambier, Australia; at the celebration commemorating the 40th anniversary of the coronation of the King of Thailand, the 1998 Summit of the Americas in Chile before 34 heads of state, the United Nations “Day of Philosophy” event in Paris sponsored by UNESCO, and the Tokyo Jazz Festival. The students have also participated in tours of Argentina, China, Egypt, India, Morocco, Peru, Russia, Vietnam and, most recently, Jordan with Institute Chairman Herbie Hancock.
Since the program’s inception, students have studied with Kenny Barron, Jerry Bergonzi, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ron Carter, Hal Crook, Jack DeJohnette, Nnenna Freelon, Herbie Hancock, Barry Harris, Roy Haynes, Jimmy Heath, Dave Holland, Wynton Marsalis, Dick Oatts, Danilo Pérez, Dianne Reeves, John Scofield, Wayne Shorter, Horace Silver and Clark Terry, among many others. Program participants benefit from the world-class learning environment at UCLA, recently named the number 1 public university in the United States for the fifth straight year by U.S. News & World Report.
In June 2023, internationally acclaimed trumpeter and composer Ambrose Akinmusire, a 2007 graduate of the program, was named Artistic Director of the Institute of Jazz Performance, returning to guide and encourage the next generation of jazz artists.
- Check out a complete listing of our alumni here.
- Click here to view select press coverage of the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance.
About The Herb Alpert School of Music
In January 2016, the University of California Board of Regents formally established the Herb Alpert School of Music as UCLA’s 12th professional school and the first music school in the University of California system. Created in 2007 with a $30 million gift from the Herb Alpert Foundation, the school sets a new standard for 21st century music schools by balancing performance and scholarship, and by embracing classical western music, world music and jazz, and popular contemporary music. With more than 580 undergraduate and graduate students, the school offers 15 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs through three highly rated academic departments, each with internationally acclaimed faculty. The Department of Music competes for students with the nation’s top music schools. It provides intensive individual studio instruction, thorough theoretical training and full participation in large and small ensembles, and offers many degree tracks including the M.M. degree in conjunction with the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz. The Department of Ethnomusicology is the only one of its kind in the U.S. and the most celebrated program in the world for the study of diverse musical cultures. The Department of Musicology teaches and conducts research on jazz, heavy metal, techno, musical theater, and other forms of popular music as well as European classical music. The National Research Council recently recognized UCLA Musicology as the top ranked academic music doctoral program in the U.S.
Meet the Class of 2027
Six extraordinary young jazz musicians from around the world were selected for the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance at UCLA, Class of 2027. Each will begin the intensive, full-scholarship program in September 2025 and attain a Master of Music in Jazz Performance degree from The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music – one of the nation’s top music schools – in spring 2027.
Nicolaus Gelin, trumpet, was born in Miami and began studying violin and piano at age 7 before discovering the trumpet at age 12. He attended the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with Jon Faddis and Ingrid Jensen. Gelin is a YoungArts winner and was also selected for the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead program at the Kennedy Center. He contributed the original score to a short film by Rosie Elliot, which received the Phil Knight Foundation award. Gelin is also a visual artist whose work was featured at an exhibition in Barcelona.
Nathan Gilbreath, trombone, was born in Seattle, Washington and began his musical studies on piano at age 7 before picking up trombone three years later. While earning his Bachelor’s Degree at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, he studied with Andre Hayward, Joshua Redman and Marcus Printup. Gilbreath has performed with Matt Brewer, Tom Catanzaro, David Sanchez and Matt Wilson. Gilbreath was named Outstanding Soloist at the Bellevue College Jazz Festival and was selected to participate in the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra. He was also a finalist in the American Trombone Workshop competition.
Mwanzi Harriott, guitar, was born in Miami, Florida, and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. He started learning guitar at age 7 by observing his father playing. He attended Tri-Cities High School, studying classical string bass in the magnet string orchestra program before focusing on jazz guitar. Harriott attended the Berklee College of Music, where he studied with well-respected musicians such as Terri Lyne Carrington, Tim Miller, and Joanne Brackeen among others. During his first year, he was named a recipient of the National YoungArts Honorable Mention Award for guitar. Following his time at Berklee, he moved to New York City, where he led his own band and played with artists such as Orrin Evans and Nasheet Waits. He was also selected to be in the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead 2024 cohort led by Jason Moran.
Yerin Kim, bass, was born in Daejeon, South Korea and began her music studies on piano at age 5. She received her undergraduate degree in Bass Performance from Berklee College of Music, where she was awarded the Wes Wehmiller Memorial Endowed Scholarship and the Berklee International Network Scholarship. Kim participated in the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead program at the Kennedy Center, where she had the opportunity to study with Jason Moran and Benny Green. She has toured internationally with her group, including performances in South Korea, Japan, and the United States. Kim has also studied with Linda May Han Oh, Terri Lyne Carrington, Marquis Hill, and Billy Kilson among others.
Elisee Ngbo, piano, was born and raised in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and began his musical journey in church playing the drums at the age of 3. He earned a degree in Music Performance in Contemporary Percussion from Western Connecticut State University, where he studied with Yale percussion alumnus and jazz vibraphonist, Doug Perry. He also competed in Drum Corps International as a snare drummer. While in college, Ngbo received mentorship from tenor saxophonist, Jackie McLean protégé Jimmy Greene, Buster Williams, Dayna Stephens, Jean Baylor and Jaleel Shaw among others. He went on to earn a Master of Music in Jazz Studies from the Manhattan School of Music, where he served as Jazz Representative for the student body and received a DownBeat Award for a “VSOP Tribute Group.”
Mailo Rakotonanahary, drums, was born in Paris, France, and began studying music at age six. He started playing classical percussion and drums in Toulouse before focusing on jazz at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris. Rakotonanahary won the Best Soloist award at the Trophées du Sunset Sunside. He was a member of the Gutenberg Jazz Collective, where he studied with Terri Lyne Carrington, David Virelles, Christian McBride, and Melissa Aldana among others. He has performed at major jazz festivals and venues across France and won several competitions with his band, AMG. Rakotonanahary is also the recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship.
