Spotlight Artist: Duke Ellington School of the Arts’ Reginald Cyntje
By • November 10, 2025 0 158
By LaMarr Funn
Reginald Cyntje — Educator, Creator, and Director of Jazz Studies at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts
For the past nine years, award-winning trombonist and recording artist Reginald Cyntje has inspired audiences around the world while shaping the next generation of musicians through his leadership at Duke Ellington School of the Arts.
As Director of Jazz Studies, Cyntje has developed the school’s curriculum for Music Theory, Advanced Jazz Theory, AP Theory and Music Composition. The Ellington jazz program provides students with rich performance opportunities through the Duke Jazz Ensemble and Duke Jazz Combos, allowing them to perform in diverse settings and collaborate with world-renowned guest artists. The program has also hosted master classes led by legends such as Wynton Marsalis and Billy Taylor & Vanessa Rubin.
Courtesy Duke Ellington School of the Arts.
Cyntje’s music is deeply rooted in cultural storytelling, spirituality, and social consciousness. As both Director and Creator of Jazz Studies at Duke Ellington School of the Arts and Professor of Music at Montgomery College, he continues to influence a generation of emerging artists.
His artistry has been featured on NPR’s “Jazz Night in America” and recognized by the Washington City Paper as one of the region’s best composers.
With performances spanning the U.S., Europe, South America, and the Caribbean, Cyntje’s sound bridges genres and cultures. To date, he has released eight albums as a bandleader, each reflecting his evolving creative journey.
His latest album, Mosaic, explores the beauty of building a meaningful life through both joy and struggle. The project has garnered over 200,000 streams and downloads across multiple platforms, resonating deeply with listeners worldwide.
Explore his music and story at www.reginaldcyntje.com/biography.
You can also visit https://reginaldcyntje.hearnow.com/mosaic.
