About
the Directors
Ben Medler
Director / Co-founder
Ben grew up in Andover, Massachusetts, where he studied with trombonist Phil Wilson and vocal instructor Earl Miller. During his summers, he studied with German based trombonist Jiggs Whigham and after attending Berklee College of Music with a focus in composition and performance, he moved to Oregon. Ben completed a Bachelor of Music in Jazz at Portland State University, while developing an award winning Jazz program at Portland’s Wilson High School with wife Michelle. 7 years later, the Medlers started the Portland Youth Jazz Orchestra after working with and being inspired by Mercer Ellington on a project involving youth. While running PYJO, Ben spent 22 years as a Jazz Instructor at Portland State University and currently instructs trombonists at Lewis & Clark College. Ben is a producer, educator and mulit-instrumentalist with professional recordings on Trumpet, Trombone, Electric/Acoustic Basses, Vocals, Piano and Drums with many of his compositions being recorded. He has performed with Randy Brecker, The Rebirth Brass Band, The Temptations, Yoron Israel, Rick Peckham, The Heavy Brothers, Darrell Grant, Bob Mintzer, Latin Expression, Cambalache & many others. The Medlers lead many bands in many styles including The Shanghai Woolies Dance Band, Michelle Medler Quartet, La Tropikana, Mystery Seed, Ben Medler Quartet, The Medler Sextet, Trombone 8, The Quadraphonnes, Multnomah Brass Quartet & Medler Vintage Swing All Stars. Ben is a committed Red Sox Fan!
Michelle Medler
Director / Co-founder
Michelle Medler is a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, music educator, composer, producer & arranger from the Pacific Northwest, USA. She is the co-founder and director of the Portland Youth Jazz Orchestra as well an active and versatile musician. Michelle fronts her soulful Jazz group MMQ on tenor, flute and vocals. They have several albums full of originals, standards, covers & many grooves. She enjoys this outlet for her modern Jazz playing, composing & for touring. Michelle holds down the woodwinds & vocals in the 1920s-40s Jazz ensemble, the Shanghai Woolies, plays tenor in the female saxophone band, The Quadraphonnes, plays tenor/flute/keyboards and sings in the original funk/pop band Mystery Seed & is in salsa band, Melao de Cuba. She has been a mentor and composer for Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble's (PJCE)Young Composers Program as well as played in PJCE's band. Between gigs, she has a private lesson studio, co-runs the Burlingame Space Jazz Club, works as a clinician and adjudicator for school bands and solo/ensemble contests, teaches "Jazz Techniques for Educators" at Portland State University and various music classes at the Burlingame Space. She exercises her classical chops in the Quadraphonnes and as a sub in the Portland Wind Symphony. Her other interests include art & design, kayaking, hiking and enjoying the NW wilderness.
Michelle graduated from Portland State University with a Bachelors of Music, Jazz Emphasis. Simultaneous to college she was an artist in residence at Portland, Oregon’s Wilson (Ida B Wells) High school band program. She has performed with The Rebirth Brass Band, The Temptations, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Charmaine & Charles Neville, Yoron Israel & Rick Peckham. Medler performed on the soundtrack to the films "The Holdovers (2023)", “The Go Getter” (2008) and has recorded as a side-person on many various jazz r'n'b albums and soundtracks for musicals.