About CCJA
For over 25 years, CCJA has been providing music education through the art form of jazz. We are proud of all that we have accomplished, starting with our first cohort of six students in 1999 and now reaching over 400 students annually.
In 2003, CCJA incorporated as a Colorado non-profit, achieving 501(c)(3) status in 2004. We began with small group instruction for teens, guided by the experienced mentorship of professional Denver-based jazz musicians. We have since added a variety of programs to serve the needs of our ever-widening audience, including summer intensives and sleepaway camps, big bands, New Orleans-style brass marching bands, and vocal programs. Adult programs now round out the mix, welcoming lifelong learners of all ages and abilities.
Our community continues to grow through programs at Cowell Elementary, made possible through grant funding that has brought our KinderBop, Learn-to-Play, and Learn-to-Sing programs to over 300 underserved, diverse Denver Public School K-5 students.
CCJA's extensive outreach in the community provides workshops for middle and high school jazz bands and introduces schools without jazz bands to the art form. We offer free jam sessions so students of all ages can practice their skills in a supportive and inclusive environment and we have continued to build partnerships with area community groups.
The music created through our programs has reached thousands of people, and our footprint in local neighborhoods continues to grow as we organize performances across metro Denver, reaching a wider array of people where they live, work, and play.
Our Team
Our staff is passionate about offering the most excellent and accessible jazz educational programming and mentoring for our community. Feel free to reach out with questions, comments, or suggestions for our organization.
Paul Romaine
Artistic Director
Paul Romaine has led, recorded, or performed with countless combinations of the Denver area’s best players and with internationally acclaimed artists such as Eddie Harris, Benny Golson, James Moody, Randy Brecker, Jimmy Heath, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Chris Potter, Christian McBride, Roberta Gambarini, Peter Bernstein, Larry Goldings, Houston Person, Charlie Rouse, Eddie Gomez, Bobby Watson, Jack McDuff, Clark Terry, and the Woody Herman Orchestra. Paul plays with numerous groups including Convergence, The Ken Walker Sextet, Big Swing Trio, the Jazz Worms, and Peter Sommer Septet, where he also writes and has recorded critically acclaimed CD’s.
Paul has served on the music faculty at the University of Colorado at Boulder since 2005, and also taught at MSU Denver. As a clinician he experienced the power of mentoring, and together with his wife Chris, he developed a unique vision for jazz education, and co-founded the non-profit Colorado Conservatory for the Jazz Arts. As the Artistic Director, he has developed unique programs for students of all ages throughout Colorado who play together and study with professional musicians. Paul was honored to receive a Presidential Scholars Program Teacher Recognition Award from the U.S. Department of Education.
Ann Bowar
Executive Director
Ann Bowar has been a CCJA parent for many years, her four sons having participated in the program on piano, percussion, bass, and saxophone. During this time, she also served on CCJA's Board of Directors, performing the roles of Vice President and Secretary. After finishing her 6th and final year on the board, Chis & Paul invited her to join the staff to expand CCJA's engagement and development efforts. Ann is delighted to continue her involvement with CCJA, and looks forward to helping grow the support for CCJA's programs so the organization can continue to foster jazz education and appreciation for many years to come!
Ann's career has revolved around marketing and education. Prior to joining CCJA, she worked at the University of Denver, as a student advisor at Korbel School for International Studies and as an events and external engagement manager in the Daniels College of Business. She started her career in the NYC area, doing marketing for Berlitz International and American Express. She has an MBA from the Kellogg School at Northwestern and a BA in Political Science from the University of Notre Dame.
Jonathan Zimny
Big Bands and Camps Director
Jonathan Zimny is a trombonist, vocalist, composer, and educator from Sacramento, California. Raised by two band directors, he has loved and been deeply involved with music from a very young age.
He moved to Colorado in 2010 to attend the University of Northern Colorado where he received his BM in Jazz Studies. While there, Zimny studied with Dr. Nat Wickham and performed with UNC Jazz Lab Band 1 under the direction of Dana Landry. During his time with Lab 1, the band received the best graduate jazz ensemble award from Downbeat magazine. Zimny later finished his master’s degree in 2018 at the University of Colorado, Boulder with an MM in Jazz Performance and Pedagogy where he studied with Paul McKee.
Zimny has performed with a multitude of artists in Denver and California, including Nostal-Jazz and the Denver Jazz Orchestra, and can be heard on the song “Faith” recorded for the popular motion picture Sing. He has also taught low brass for the Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps and Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps, and is currently in the Broncos Stampede Brass Band and the Avalanche Celly Squad.
Jonathan has worked for CCJA since 2018 teaching middle school combos and big bands, and he helps put on programs such as Jazz Boot Camp, Jazz in the Sangres, the CCJA Street Band, and Denver Day of Jazz.
Domi Edson
Small Group and Summer Institute Director
Domi Edson is an award winning bassist, composer, and arranger originally from Seattle, WA. She graduated with a B.A. in Classical Bass Performance from Central Washington University in 2019 and received a Master’s degree in Jazz Studies from the University of Northern Colorado in 2021.
Domi leads her own group, the Domi Edson Trio, which in addition to having 2 albums, have performed at Dazzle, Nocturne, The Muse, Frankie’s Jazz Club (Vancouver, Canada), The Royal Room (Seattle), Boxley’s (North Bend, WA), KUVO, Five Points Jazz Festival, and other locations across the Front Range and the Pacific Northwest. As a sidewoman, Domi has performed with Terrell Stafford, Charles McPherson, Greg Gisbert, Dawn Clement, Gayelynn McKinney, and many more. In addition to her performance career, Domi is also a passionate educator. She has served as president or vice president on Jazz Education Network student chapter boards at both CWU and UNC and founded and organized both universities’ Women in Jazz Day festivals.
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Paloma Rose
Marketing Director
Paloma Rose is an internationally performing jazz vocalist and bassist influenced by the mysticism and color of the American Southwest. Each note is steeped in ancestral memory, weaving together the mysticism of her Pueblo Native, Coahuiltecan, and Sephardic Jewish heritage with the spiritual landscapes of her homeland.
Paloma Rose attended MSU Denver’s Jazz Performance program and studied under today’s leading jazz voices including Dawn Clement, Shane Endsley, Dave Devine, Patrick McDevitt, and Dru Heller. At the age of 17, she was already a sound engineer at Denver’s iconic Dazzle Jazz Club, working with artists like Christian McBride, Bria Skonberg, Emmet Cohen, Ravi Coltrane, and Cyrille Aimée. She has also been able to work with and study under Greg Gisbert, John Clayton, Patrick Bartley, and Charles Blenzig.
At the heart of Paloma Rose’s work is a belief that music is a tool for healing, transformation, and radical joy. Whether guiding students or commanding the stage, she invites listeners into a shared space of vulnerability and power, urging them to feel deeply, listen closely, and connect to something greater than themselves.
Camilla Vaitaitis
Administrative Director and SheBop Director
Camilla Vaitaitis is a versatile pianist, vocalist, guitarist, arranger, and composer based in Denver, CO. She holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Jazz Piano and Composition from the University of Denver's Lamont School of Music.
Camilla plays regularly in several different groups, including her indie-psych rock band Barbara and her original jazz project, the Camilla Vaitaitis Quartet. She dedicates time not only to performing throughout Colorado, but also to composing and songwriting for a variety of groups, including big bands, small ensembles, rock bands, and more. She is a published composer with Brava Jazz Publishing. In addition to actively performing, Camilla is a member of the jazz faculty at the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music. Having grown up attending CCJA programs as a student and now as a current faculty member and staff member - CCJA is a huge part of her life.
Camilla has been busy in the studio recording a variety of different projects. Her debut jazz album as a bandleader, I Grew Up, was released on March 3, 2026. Barbara’s sophomore album SO THIS IS LIVING was released on April 4, 2025. Specific Ocean’s full-length album i’m not a perfect person, but i’m trying to make you proud was released on Feb. 21, 2025.
Jake Alvarez
AV and Production Director
Jake Alvarez is a passionate eductor, performer, and multi-instrumentalist based out of sunny Denver, Colorado. Having picked up guitar at the age of five, his love for music only continued to grow as his undying passion for music was fostered by the educators he had the privilege of studying under in his youth and early adult life. Studying under the stellar tutelage of the multitude of world class instructors at the Colorado Conservatory for the Jazz arts from 2007-2012, he now teaches for, and is the Marketing Coordinator for, the Conservatory. The education in music that he received there allowed him the opportunity to attend the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver, which led to him being able to perform at several notable jazz clubs in the area, and even for international dignitaries such as former Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex.
Currently a member of the Diamond Empire wedding band, studio musician for Third and James Record Label, and a musician who plays with a multitude of other ensembles and projects in the Denver-Metro area; Jake is always trying to branch out and breach new musical boundaries. Should you ever need instruction on guitar, bass, drums, keyboard, songwriting and composition, or electronic music production; look no further. Jake will help you find the sound that you are looking for!
CCJA's Co-Founder
Chris Romaine
Chris Romaine co-founded CCJA in 1999 with her husband Paul Romaine. She retired in 2025 and we are grateful for her many years of service and leadership.
Ms. Romaine received her Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Public Policy from the University of Denver, where she also minored in music at the Lamont School of Music. She later received her secondary teaching certification, and taught Social Studies (and some music) in Cherry Creek public schools for five years. Chris was then bit with the entrepreneurial bug she grew up with, and started a tea shop/restaurant/mail order/catering business which she ran with her mother and sister until its sale in 1999.
As soon as it was sold, she and Paul decided to give their idea for a jazz education program a try, and CCJA (the Colorado Conservatory for the Jazz Arts) was born. There seemed to be a need for CCJA in the community, and it continued to grow to the point that it made sense to change it to a non-profit organization and bring in a board, volunteers, and more people from the community. As it turns out, Ms. Romaine found that her personal experience of finding her voice through jazz as a teen and her teaching background, combined with the real-life lessons and experiences of owning a business, served her well in her position as Executive Director.
Faculty and Mentors
CCJA’s programs provide a rich source of teaching, mentorship, and support to each student. Our mentors include Denver’s finest professional jazz musicians, many of whom teach at the college level, and all of whom have a deep understanding of the music, its history, theory, and improvisational techniques. They take joy in their responsibility of passing down the wisdom of the masters to the next generation of players.
Most ensembles also have the involvement of near peer mentors: younger professional musicians who work directly with students who need additional assistance on their individual instrument or with a newly introduced topic. Our younger students especially look up to their near-peer mentors, who stand alongside them as an approachable source of encouragement while they are absorbing new ideas and techniques.
CCJA Board of Directors
Lynelle Duncan, President
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Retired, Arts Administration
Sharon Hicks, Vice President
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Chief Operating Officer, Ron Hicks Art
JP Tremblay, Treasurer
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Principal, Managing CFO, AVL Growth Partners
Matt Herzberger, Secretary
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Retired Teacher, Jefferson County Schools
Hezekiah Agbo
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Senior Associate, Finance, Range Summit Capital and percussionist
Melissa Baehr
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Vocalist, guitarist, and volunteer, Guided by Humanity
Annie Booth
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Composer/Arranger, Pianist, Educator, Entrepreneur, University of Colorado Boulder
Alejandro Castaño
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Musician and Educator, University of Colorado Boulder and percussionist
Kyle Coberly
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Software Engineer, Urban Sky and guitarist
Kate Krukowski
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Litigation Associate, Snell & Wilmer
James Middleton
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Retired Management Consultant, LEVATA Human Performance and bassist
Na'im McKee
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Director of Demand Generation, DICE and bassist
Adisa Nickerson
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Sales Manager, DVLP Academy & Trulite Glass and trumpeter
Yuki Renwick
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Retired, Administration & Accounting, MontBell
Sonda Wynn
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Learning & Development Consultant, VP, Bank of the West
Sophie Duquette
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Youth Student Board Member and trumpeter, Monarch High School
Eli Mercado
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Youth Student Board Member and trumpeter, Denver School of the Arts
Liam Osborne Miyata
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Youth Student Board Member and saxophonist, Northfield High School