Tanya Darby Announced as Chair of the Brass Department

Educator, musician, and clinician Tanya Darby will join the Brass Department as its chair next semester. Darby currently works as an assistant professor of jazz lead trumpet at the University of North Texas, and has previously held adjunct faculty positions at Temple University and the New School in New York City.

Originally from Seaside, California, Darby is a current and veteran member of a variety of renowned groups, including the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Roy Hargrove Big Band, DIVA Jazz Orchestra, Michel Camilo Big Band, Rufus Reid Large Ensemble, and Manhattan Jazz Orchestra. She has performed and toured with a diverse array of artists and ensembles, including the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Count Basie Orchestra, Ron Carter Great Big Band, Paquito D’Rivera, Gladys Knight, Dianne Reeves, and many others. Darby also appeared on the television program BET on Jazz as part of the T.S. Monk Sextet, and performed with Aretha Franklin as part of the Arista Records 25 Year Anniversary Special on NBC.

“Tanya Darby’s impressive background in performance and education will contribute tremendously to the goals and initiatives of the Brass Department at Berklee,” said Ron Savage, dean of the Professional Performance Division.

As an educator, Darby teaches master classes and has been a clinician and adjudicator at numerous festivals, both domestic and abroad. She received her master's degree in jazz performance from Rutgers University in 2012, and a bachelor's degree in jazz performance from the Manhattan School of Music in 1998.