Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (Born: April 29, 1899 in Washington, DC - Died: May 24, 1974 in New York City) was an American jazz composer, pianist and bandleader. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1969 and in 1973, the Legion of Honor by France.

Adam Schlesinger was a songwriter, composer, and record producer. He won Emmy and Grammy Awards and has been nominated for Oscar, Tony, and Golden Globe Awards. He was also a winner of the ASCAP Pop Music Award.

David Javerbaum is an American comedy writer and currently an Executive Producer for Fusion Network (a joint venture network between ABC and Univision) to oversee development of a news satire block of programming.  As the former Executive Producer of Comedy Central’s "The Daily Show with Jon

Brian Hargrove received a BFA from the UNC at Chapel Hill and went on to graduate from the Julliard Theatre Center.

Barbara has many years of experience as a music director/arranger and orchestrator. Her writing career began after 9/11 with All Join Together, the title song of a CD that raised money for The New York Times 9/11 fund.

Michael Cooper is an Outer Critics Circle and MAC Award nominated songwriter, recipient of the 2005 Jonathan Larson, Daryl Roth, and the TRU Daniel Marshall Multicultural Awards.