The Team
The Board of Directors is a community of musical professionals and enthusiasts, committed to supporting jazz in our community.
Daphne Bolden, PhD, Executive Director
Daphne is an educator and lover of the arts. She is a former research scientist, actress, vocalist, and vocal instructor, who has reinvented herself a few times. She received a PhD in Neuroscience and Molecular Biology from UCLA in 1994, then moved to Italy to continue her research at the Università di Verona, and then on to the Royal London Hospital (St. Bart’s) in the UK. While in London, she produced the dinner theatre The Cotton Club which ran in London’s West End for about 1 year. Daphne relocated to the Berkshires in 2017 and found home. Her love of nature, education and the arts converged and prompted her to fill a void, Jazz in the Berkshires.
Ira Lapidus, DMD, Officer
Ira has lived in Williamstown for 50 years and involved in civic life for much of that time. He was chair of Williamstown Recreation Committee for many years, elected to 4 terms on the Mt.Greylock school committee and for 25 years on the Williamstown Theater Festival board including 12 as chair ( including being awarded the Tony in 2002). He was appointed to the Massachusetts Cultural Council and served as the chair (CEO) for 6 years as well as 10 years as advocacy chair prior to that.
Joseph (Joe) Polito, Officer
With over 35 years of experience, Joseph Polito is an accomplished International Hospitality Executive, Hotelier, and Restaurateur. Throughout his career, Joseph has excelled in opening and managing luxury Hotels, Restaurants, spas, and professional sports and Entertainment venues across numerous countries worldwide. Joe’s journey began at the Mayfair Regent in New York City, where he honed his skills and expertise. Seeking new horizons, he joined the pioneering management team of Amanresorts, an uber-luxury resort company based in Asia. His contributions were instrumental in establishing their brand identity and reputation. Continuing his success, Joseph joined the prestigious Oberoi Group, leading the opening of several magnificent Oberoi Resorts, including the iconic Rajasthani Palace Udaivilas in Udaipur, India. This true six-star resort earned global acclaim, consistently securing its position as the number one hotel in the world for multiple years. In recent years, Joseph held influential positions as a Vice President with esteemed organizations such as the Pan Pacific Group, Dusit Thani International, MGM Resorts International, and Legends Hospitality. His leadership facilitated the development of innovative and unique concepts for stylish hotels, event venues, professional sporting arenas, stadiums, and restaurants both in the USA and internationally. Joseph has earned a well-deserved reputation as an eminent authority in the industry, continually driving innovation in services and products that have become benchmarks for the field. The properties he has been associated with have consistently garnered the highest accolades from discerning consumers and major media outlets alike. Passionate and experienced, Joe brings his unwavering commitment to ensuring a user experience that surpasses the expectations of the most discerning clients. With his guidance, you can trust that the standards of excellence will be met and exceeded at every turn.
Todd Barkan, NEA Jazz Master, Advising Member
Todd is the proprietor of Keystone Korner, Baltimore. He was the 2018 recipient of the distinguished NEA Jazz Master award, and for decades, he’s been revered as one of the great jazz impresarios in the country. Todd has a saying: “If you take care of the music, the music will take care of you.” He was the 2018 recipient of the distinguished NEA Jazz Master award, and for decades, he’s been revered as one of the great jazz impresarios in the country.
Anastasia Stanmeyer, Advising Member
Anastasia Stanmeyer has been editor of Berkshire Magazine since its 2012 debut. After graduating with a degree in political science from the University of Kansas, she began her journalism career with daily newspapers, writing for publications such as the Tampa Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, and Dallas Morning News. Then she moved over to magazines, contributing to Time, Asiaweek, Newsweek, and Stern, among others. She was based in Asia for 12 years and has covered regions under major political and social change such as South Sudan, Indonesia, Cambodia, Myanmar (Burma), and Haiti. She documented the AIDS epidemic throughout Asia and its connectivity to social issues and women’s rights. She moved to Otis in 2008 and continues to be very involved in her Berkshire community. She was a MCLA Hardman Journalist in Residence in 2015.
Kris Allen, Advising Member
Kris Allen is the Lyell B. Clay Artist in Residence in Jazz and Lecturer in Music at Williams and the director of the Williams jazz ensemble program. A native of the Hartford CT area and a protégé of the great Jackie McLean, Kris has forged a clear conceptual and aural identity as a saxophonist, composer, bandleader and recording artist. appearing on dozens of albums. His latest release as a leader, June, is his third critically acclaimed album for the Truth Revolution Recording Collective.
Joe Mulholland, Advising Member
Pianst and composer Joe Mulholland is passionate about performing and teaching great popular music from the 1930s to the present: Great American Songbook, Jazz, R’n’B and more. This found expression in his work as music director for Didi Stewart and Friends, an award-winning concert and event ensemble from 1985-1998. The group performed the music of Great American Songbook composers, as well as the next wave of great rock and pop singers and songwriters from the ’60s and ’70s. More than a dozen evening-length tribute shows played to sold-out houses in the Boston area. He continues to have an active free-lance career as jazz instrumentalist, composer, arranger and vocal accompanist. He has released six CDs of original music for jazz sextet and trio/quartet. His last CD, “Runaway Train,” contains eight new compositions for jazz trio. A large new collection from Sextet quartet and solo piano was released in the summer of 2023. Joe is a Professor of Harmony and Jazz Composition at Berklee College of Music, teaching advanced core courses and upper-level electives. He chaired the department from 2005-2015. He has a special interest in the popular music of Brazil, and teaches a class at Berklee in the Harmony of Brazilian Song. He has lectured on harmony, improvisation and composition internationally. He also authored and teaches online classes in Jazz Composition and Contemporary Popular Music Theory for BerkleeOnline.