Resume

 Recordings
  • December 2020, (single) It’s Been Good
  • August 2013, We Play When We Play
  • February 2013, İstanbul’un İzleri (Asena Akan): 
  • 2010 Culmination, Cd Baby
  • 2005, The Dance Of Life, DMC Records, Istanbul
  • 1999, Language Of The Emotions, Philology Records
  • 1995, Lee Konitz, Free With Lee, Philology Records
  • 1993, Look Ma, No Hands!, Philology Records

PERFORMANCE
  • Brazilian Music Festival Chicago
  • Great Black Music Ensemble (AACM)
  • Reggie Nicholson Quintet, Englewood Jazz Festival
  •  Z-Fest, Donovan Mixon’s World Jazz Quintet, Elastic Arts - Chicagohttps://
  • www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZ2jGY08Ghc
  • Festival of the Wall – Rogers Park, Lucy Smith Quartet
  • =Guitarist: Great Black Music Ensemble GBME, AACM (Chicago Jazz
  • Festival, Stony Island Arts Bank, Logan Center, Minneopolis MN, Pitchfork Festival)
  • Chicago Jazz Festival—Co-leader: Montage
  •  Festival of the Wall – Rogers Park Hybrid Project Chicago. https://youtu.be/
  • r9wFttkVxPE
  •  Twenty-Two: Concert at Jazz-Play Studio, Evanston: https://youtu.be/
  • nJ7ZXX10paU
  •  Israeli Jazz & World Music Festival: https://youtu.be/xTnxC0iR7Ok
  • • Jazz Oasis – Chicago Jazz Festival: Montage, Donovan Mixon
  • • Lakeshore Festival Dawes Park – Evanston: Montage, Donovan Mixon
  • • Uncommon Ground – Devon: Donovan Mixon Quintet
  • • The Green Mill – Chicago: Donovan Mixon Quintet (Chicago Jazz Composers
  • Collective)donovanmixon@gmail.com, donovanmixon.com
  • performanceeartraining.com, 847 217 5044
  •  Marion Street Market – Chicago: Montage. Donovan Mixon
  • Room Forty-Three – Chicago: Featured soloist with The Most Wanted
  • Katerinas – Chicago: Featured soloist with Lucy Smith
  • ETA – Chicago: Featured soloist with ‘The Boss 8’
  • Serbian Village Restaurant – Chicago: Featured soloist
  • Jazz Institute 2012 Club Tour, Chicago: - Donovan Mixon’s Hybrid Project http://
  • www.jazzinchicago.org/presents/jazz-club-tour
  • Southside Community Arts Center – Chicago: Donovan Mixon’s Hybrid Project http://
  • www.southsidecommunityartcenter.com/joomla/index.php/sscac/current-show.html
  • Morseland – Chicago: Donovan Mixon’s Hybrid Project,
  • Annual performance tours (Italy) 1995 – Present: Donovan Mixon’s Quartetto Italiano
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsIiuFiEKPw
  • Bodrum Jazz Festival – (Turkey): Donovan Mixon & Asena Akan Quartet
  • http://www.turkishliving.com/forums/things-going-your-area/48696-three-evenings-jazz-
  • bodrum-19-21-may.html
  • 2005, Istanbul Group, Hybrid Project: 12th International Istanbul Jazz Festival: http://
  • caz.iksv.org/en/archive/photoarchive/51/808 PUBLICATIONS & SPECIAL PROJECTS


Teaching
2023 – Resident teaching artist for the Jazz Institute of Chicago
  • 2020 – Present: Proprietor, Jazz-Play Studio LTD: Istanbul – Evanston, Il
  • 2020 – Present: Online course: Performance Ear Training.
  • 2006 – 2010: Jazz-Play Studio (Istanbul)
  • 2000-2006:  Istanbul Bilgi University, Assistant Professor, Vice Chair.
  • 1993 – 1994: Adjunct faculty, D.A.M.S. Universita’ di Bologna Discipline delle Arti.
  • 1993 – 2000: Freelance Performing Artist and Music Clinician (Based in Italy).
  • 1986 – 1993: Berklee College of Music, Assistant/Associate Professor.

​Performance Ear Training Clinics
  • 2021 JEN Conference, New Orleans, LA
  • Bahcesehir University, Istanbul – Turkey
  • Robert College, Istanbul – Turkey
  • O.T.A. School of the Arts Singapore
  • Columbia College, Chicago – Il
  • Vandercook College, Chicago – Il
  • Roosevelt University, Chicago – Il
  • CJP (Chicago Jazz Philharmonic) Summer Jazz Camp, Chicago – Il
  • University of Illinois, Chicago – Il
  • Old Town School of Folk Music Chicago – Il
  • Evanston High School Jazz Festival, Evanston – Il
  • New Trier High School Jazz Festival, Northfield – Il
  • Mohawk College, Hamilton – Ontario, Canada
  • Uskadar American School, Istanbul – Turkey (high school)
  • Bilkent University, Ankara – Turkey
  • Scuola Comunale di Musica “G. Sarti”, Faenza – Italy
  • Jazzschule Basel: Basel, Switzerland
  • Scuola di Musica Moderna, Ferrara – Italy
  • Kadir Has University, Istanbul – Turkey
  • Istanbul International Community School, Istanbul – Turkey 
  • Robert College, Istanbul – Turkey
  • Shanghai American School, Shanghai – China
  • Berklee College of Music On the Road Program
  • Nuova Academia di Musica Moderna, Milan – Italy
  • Centro Professione Musica, Milan – Italy

Publications
  • 2000, Performance Ear Training, Advance Music
  • 1996-1999, Nine Joe Diorio solo transcriptions, Casa Musicale Tarasconi s.r.l., Milan
  • 1993 – 2000, Contributing author, Guitar Club Magazine, Milan

Special Projects
  • Donovan's Garage - (Curator) Live Music Series
  • Performanceeartraining.com -  Online Course
  • Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM).
  • Member of the Great Black Music Ensemble (GBME)
  • 2017, YA novel, Ahgottahandleonit. Cinco Puntos Press
  • July 2011, Short story Buona Sera Tutti, Red Orchre Lit
  • 2010 – 2012, YouTube performance videos: channel Dmix22
  • 2003, Artistic Director, “Kas N’ Jazz”, International Jazz Festival, Kas, Turkey
  • 2001, Language Of The Emotions, Multi-media concert, Koc Alliance Auditorium, Istanbul

​Education
  • M.M. Jazz/Commercial Music, Manhattan School of Music, 1985
  • B.A. Music Education, Jersey City State College, 1978
  • Permanent K-12 Teaching Certification /Classical Guitar
  • Temple University, 1983
  • Graduate studies, 20th Century Composition & Piano.


Awards/Distinctions
  • 1989, National Endowment for the Arts, Jazz Composition 
  • 1988, Original composition, Culmination performed by the Boston Orchestra and Chorale

Foreign Languages
  • Italian – fluent
  • Turkish – Functional