Jen Krupa

Jen Krupa is a trombonist, arranger, and educator based in the Washington, D.C. area, known as lead trombonist of the DIVA Jazz Orchestra and the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra. A California native, she studied jazz at the University of North Florida before earning an Artist Diploma from The Juilliard School in 2003 as part of its inaugural jazz studies class, where she studied trombone with Wycliffe Gordon, and later completed a master's degree in jazz studies at the University of Maryland. From 2004 to 2024 she served with the United States Navy Band Commodores Jazz Ensemble, holding roles that included music director and arranger. Her playing has carried her to Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Kennedy Center, and she has shared the stage with artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Randy Brecker, Jon Faddis, and Ingrid Jensen. She serves on the faculty of The Juilliard School, where she conducts the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra.