Khris Dodge is a versatile musician, educator, and Tucson arts advocate for more than 30 years. He was recently appointed Executive Director of the Tucson Jazz Festival and continues to serve as director of Jovert, Tucson High Magnet School’s steel band. In addition, he also runs Khris Dodge Entertainment (KDE), a full-scale concert production company.

Educated at the University of Arizona, where he earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Percussion Performance, Khris used the skills learned under Gary Cook – as well as jazz piano instruction from Jeff Haskell – to craft a versatile music career. Khris has played everything from orchestral percussion with Tucson Symphony and Arizona Opera (the latter of which he played with for 20 years) to keyboard for Broadway National Tours (Wicked, The Book of Mormon, Jersey Boys). Additionally, he has played featured performances at the Sedona Film Festival, Musical Instrument Museum, Austin Cabaret Theatre, and New York’s Metropolitan Room, to name a few. Khris also arranged and conducted Hot Stuff: A Symphonic Tribute to Donna Summer, which debuted in 2019.

In his spare time, Khris works with the Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus, Diaper Bank of Southern Arizona, and the Rotary Club of Tucson.

Andrew Birgensmith is an arts and entertainment professional with nearly 25 years of experience in the music business. Andrew gained most of his leadership experience working in the orchestra industry as President and CEO of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra and nearly a decade with the Kansas City Symphony where he held the post of General Manager. As a classically trained musician himself, Andrew always puts music first with the goal of making things better and thinking outside the box. His programming experience started when he moved to Kansas City to work alongside the executive team to open Station Casino Kansas City where he served as the entertainment manager focused on venue management and talent buying for the multi-venue gaming facility. Working for and with several other multi-million-dollar entertainment destinations in the Midwest solidified his passion for working in the entertainment industry. In 2014 Andrew opened Green Room Entertainment – created to assist regional organizations in the areas of revenue enhancement, facilities management, programming and organizational development. Working for/with the Fox Tucson Theatre since 2014 and the Tucson Jazz Festival since 2017 in various capacities has been a highlight in Andrew’s career.

Andrew attended Shenandoah University and Conservatory of Music in Winchester, Virginia where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education and Trombone Performance. He later attended Florida State University for Arts Administration and Public Administration.