
Marion Hayden has officially added the 2025 Kresge Eminent Artist award to her long list of achievements. The annual award is regarded as metro Detroit’s highest arts honor. Born in Detroit, MI, a crucible of jazz, Marion Hayden is one of the nation’s finest proponents of the acoustic bass. Mentored by master trumpeter Marcus Belgrave, Hayden began performing jazz at the age of 15. She has performed with such diverse luminaries as Bobby McFerrin, Nancy Wilson, Geri Allen, Regina Carter, Steve Turre, Lester Bowie, David Allen Grier, James Carter, Dorothy Donegan, Joe Williams, Lionel Hampton, Frank Morgan, Jon Hendricks, Hank Jones, Bobby Hutcherson, Larry Willis, Vanessa Rubin, Sheila Jordan, Mulgrew Miller, Annie Ross and many others. She is a co-founder of the touring jazz ensemble Straight Ahead- the first all woman jazz ensemble signed to Atlantic Records. She is a member of the Detroit International Jazz Festival All-Star Ambassadors touring ensemble.

Widely recognized as a standard bearer of culture and artistic history, Hayden received a 2019 Art X Grant and a Creators of Culture Grant for original musical works. She was Artistic Director
for a 2018 Knight Arts Foundation Grant encouraging young women in jazz. In 2016 Hayden was honored for her work as a performer and educator with the prestigious Kresge Artist Fellowship- a
1 year fellowship and grant award given an elite group of creative artists. She was the recipient of a 2016 Jazz Hero Award.- a national award given by the Jazz Journalists Association-
recognizing people who have made a significant contribution through their artistry and community engagement.

Trunino has performed with some of the finest musicians the world has to offer. He’s played with the likes of Marion Hayden, Wendell Harrison, Marcus Elliot, Rodney Whitaker, Ralphe Armstrong, Pamela Wise, Kris Johnson, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Terri Lynn Carrington, Jazzmeia Horn ( playing on her upcoming release ), Karriem Riggins, Endea Owens, Russell Hall, Sean Jones, Stefon Harris, Carl Allen, Charles Tolliver, Willerm Delisfort, & others. A JAS Academy student in 2021, A member of the Paradise Big Band led by Kris Johnson and He’s performed on some very prestigious stages such as, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola (NYC), Jazz Showcase (CHI), Detroit Jazz Festival, Baker’s Keyboard Lounge (DET). He’s Also performed internationally in France, Germany, and Denmark. Trunino believes that music has the ability to enhance our lives and guide us to different levels of consciousness, ultimately improving human interactions on personal, social, and cultural levels globally.