Georganne Sebastian
Georganne Sebastian coordinates the volunteers and helps maintain supplies at sharp nine. She discovered Sharp Nine years ago when the Independent interviewed Dave Finucane - the rest is history. “It’s the best jazz venue in the South East because it’s non-profit and focuses totally on the artists! You’ll never see a bad show here! Dave is a musician’s musician! It’s a labor of love to volunteer here!”, she says without hesitation.
Retired in 2020 as a pediatric pharmacist, she is also a Durham County Master Gardener Volunteer https://durhammastergardeners.com/ maintaining a demonstration garden at Arete Float Spa in Carrboro. She also makes quilts for various charities at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church Chapel Hill each Tuesday morning (by the way, donations of fabric/thread are always welcome and put to good use!). Facebook link here.
Married to volunteer Dennis Pfeiffer, they have one married son, Bob, an officer in the Navy, stationed in San Diego. They also adopted Puddy Tat, a fun-loving tuxedo kitty from Independent Animal Rescue.
Retired in 2020 as a pediatric pharmacist, she is also a Durham County Master Gardener Volunteer https://durhammastergardeners.com/ maintaining a demonstration garden at Arete Float Spa in Carrboro. She also makes quilts for various charities at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church Chapel Hill each Tuesday morning (by the way, donations of fabric/thread are always welcome and put to good use!). Facebook link here.
Married to volunteer Dennis Pfeiffer, they have one married son, Bob, an officer in the Navy, stationed in San Diego. They also adopted Puddy Tat, a fun-loving tuxedo kitty from Independent Animal Rescue.
Sharon Derry
Sharon Derry
Culminating a 36-year academic career, Sharon became Professor Emeritus of Educational Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2012, then served as The Thomas James Distinguished Professor of Experiential Learning at UNC-Chapel Hill until retiring in 2018. She now applies theories of learning to her own experience as a learner of improvisational jazz piano. A student of classical piano as a young person, Sharon resumed playing in recent years after a long hiatus but turning to jazz. She recently served as pianist for the New Horizons big band and for the Dixie Dukes, a New Orleans jazz ensemble. She currently very much enjoys participating in the Sharp Nine combo program. Sharon also performs monthly as a member of Fearrington Piano Plus, a small music salon. In addition to volunteering at Sharp Nine, she does volunteer work for Fearrington Cares. Sharon enjoys road biking, native gardening, and taking long walks with her two adored rescue hounds, Daisy and Poppy. She spends as much time as possible with family, including her mother who lives in the area, traveling regularly to California and Switzerland to visit two daughters and grandchildren.
Culminating a 36-year academic career, Sharon became Professor Emeritus of Educational Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2012, then served as The Thomas James Distinguished Professor of Experiential Learning at UNC-Chapel Hill until retiring in 2018. She now applies theories of learning to her own experience as a learner of improvisational jazz piano. A student of classical piano as a young person, Sharon resumed playing in recent years after a long hiatus but turning to jazz. She recently served as pianist for the New Horizons big band and for the Dixie Dukes, a New Orleans jazz ensemble. She currently very much enjoys participating in the Sharp Nine combo program. Sharon also performs monthly as a member of Fearrington Piano Plus, a small music salon. In addition to volunteering at Sharp Nine, she does volunteer work for Fearrington Cares. Sharon enjoys road biking, native gardening, and taking long walks with her two adored rescue hounds, Daisy and Poppy. She spends as much time as possible with family, including her mother who lives in the area, traveling regularly to California and Switzerland to visit two daughters and grandchildren.
Dennis Pfeiffer
Dennis Pfeiffer is a retired information technology pharmacist from UNC Hospital. He enjoys woodworking, having made several pieces of furniture for friends. Many of the grey table tops in the club were made by Dennis. Sleep in Heavenly Peace https://shpbeds.org/ is another charity Dennis helps build and deliver beds to children sleeping on floors. Dennis also drives routes for Chapel Hill Meals on Wheels. He’s a huge fan of the Durham Bulls. Finally, Dennis is a fabulous cook.
Diane Steinhaus
Diane Steinhaus has loved jazz since she was given a copy of Charlie Parker with Strings in high school. She recently retired after 30 years as Music Librarian at UNC Chapel Hill. Over that time she had the privilege of interacting with and hearing many of the artists connected to DJW and has enjoyed the NCJRO since they began! Diane sings with the Choral Society of Durham, conducts a small a cappella choir at her church, and kayaks and watches birds whenever she gets the chance.
A note of gratitude from the Durham Jazz Workshop/Sharp 9 Gallery to the volunteers who contributed and are contributing thousands of hours; you made
it possible to keep this place going the past ten years.
We are so thankful.
it possible to keep this place going the past ten years.
We are so thankful.