Award-winning pianist and educator Dr. David Mesquitic is dedicated to preserving and passing on the knowledge, history, and traditions of jazz to future generations. He currently shares his expertise at Weld RE-4 School District, Colorado State University, and the University of Northern Colorado, where he also maintains an active performance schedule with his trio. Throughout the year, he adjudicates competitions and commissions new music. Dr. Mesquitic earned his doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin, where he received the prestigious 2022 Eleanor Alexander Stripling Award for Excellence in Jazz Studies. His artistry has also garnered national recognition, including the 2024 United States Air Force Band Diversity Fellowship and the recipient of the 2025 University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Alumi Merit Award. As a bandleader, The David Mesquitic Trio recently released their second album, "The Trio: Volume 1." He remains actively engaged in performing, touring, and arranging music for his trio, big band, and various jazz and commercial projects as a sought-after sideman. Dr. Mesquitic has had the privilege of studying with jazz luminaries such as Andy LaVerne, Gerald Clayton, Tamir Hendelman, Steven Feifke, and Benny Green. He has shared the stage and recorded with GRAMMY Award-winner Steven Feifke, GRAMMY nominees Jeff Hamilton and Carmen Bradford, Postmodern Jukebox, The USAF Airmen of Note, Benny Benack III, Aubrey Logan, Chad Lefkowitz-Brown, Andre Hayward, Ekep Nkwelle, James Morrison, and Tony Glausi.