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Meet Our Team

Alina Bloomgarden

Founder & Executive Director

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Alina Bloomgarden was originating producer of Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Reel to Real series and Director of Visitors Services at Lincoln Center for 23 years, where she received the Directors Emeriti Award for outstanding achievement. She proposed and produced the first critically-acclaimed seasons of Jazz at Lincoln Center and invited Wynton Marsalis to participate as Artistic Advisor, the same role he now has for MOTI. Inspired by Louis Armstrong and his life-changing experience of music education when he was incarcerated as a youth, she launched MOTI to give youth and adults impacted by incarceration today what Armstrong had: music education, mentorship, encouragement and hope. MOTI taught guitar, singing and songwriting on Rikers Island, Queensboro and Edgecombe. At the start of the pandemic, MOTI launched “Musicians for Justice” concerts, featuring over 500 musicians in 75 concerts on Zoom. It has now become her life’s work to galvanize the community of musicians as a positive and healing force in criminal justice.

Wynton Marsalis

Artistic Advisor

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Wynton Marsalis Wynton Marsalis is a trumpeter, composer, teacher, music educator, and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Marsalis is a nine-time Grammy winner in jazz and classical music and is also the first jazz artist to win the Pulitzer Prize. Nearly 5 million recordings of his music have been sold worldwide.

Anthony Ray Hinton

Mentor at Large

Anthony "Ray" Hinton spent 30 years on death row for crimes he did not commit, yet he never lost his faith or humanity. He credits a loyal friend who never gave up on him. He’s committed to mentoring young people and wishes now more than anything to be a mentor to black and troubled youth.

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MOTI Staff
 

Diana Bittern, Director of Operations​

Jessica Diep: Operations & Accounts Manager

Lindsay Gebhart and Leya Burns: Grantwriters

Mikell Green Grand: Community Outreach Coordinator

Todd Neufeld: Principal Guitar Teacher

MOTI ADVISORY BOARD

 

 
Alina Bloomgarden
David Rothenberg
Elizabeth Gaynes

Brian Drolet
Wycliffe Gordon
Tani Mills
Hon. Chris Owens
Judy Stewart

Judy Gray

 
MOTI Teaching Artists 

Vincent Bohanan

Peter Malinverni

Oscar Feldman

Danny Mixon

Richard Miller

Don Braden

Barbara Seisel

Steve Sandberg

Robert Pollack

Wycliffe Gordon

Bobby Lavell

Chontay Smith

Ellen Weiss

Jonathan Finkelman




 

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