Tim “Sully” Sullivan is a creative force of nature: active musician, educator, composer and arranger, curriculum writer, researcher, producer, and much more. Named a “Baritone Saxophone Rising Star” in the 2025 Downbeat Critics’ Poll, he is a graduate of the Jazz Studies programs at Eau Claire Memorial High School (2002), Chicago College of Performing Arts (B.M. 2005), and University of New Orleans (M.M. 2008).

A gifted improviser with a soulful and singular voice on saxophones, flutes, clarinets, whistles, and voice, Tim has been a top call stage and studio player for over two decades. He has performed extensively throughout the U.S. and overseas with a wide range of artists ranging from Aretha Franklin, to over a dozen NEA Jazz Masters, to modern-day rock stars from bands like Bon Iver.

In 2009, Tim accepted a teaching position at Jazz at Lincoln Center, where for over a decade he worked across the full spectrum of JALC education programs. In 2012, he was awarded a doctoral fellowship to attend Teachers College at Columbia University (Ed.M. 2016), where he pursued research in popular music learning, teaching artistry, and curriculum design. The following year, he was hired by the Apollo Theater in Harlem as a lead teaching artist, curriculum writer, and tour guide.

Tim / aka “Mr. Tim” / aka “Sully” returned to New Orleans in 2022, where he started envisioning a framework for Experiential Arts and Learning, inspired by one of the most artful societies in the world. He is thrilled to call New Orleans home once again and have the opportunity to empower young artists and the communities their artmaking can serve.