A native of the Pacific Northwest, saxophonist Tracy Knoop is one of the best-known jazz artists and teachers in the region. After graduating from the Berklee School of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, he joined the world-famous Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and toured with them for ten years. Tracy has performed with such greats as Louis Bellson, Ray Charles, Natalie Cole, Bernadette Peters, Buddy Rich, Mel Torme, Betty Carter, and many others. Well-versed in classical and pop repertoire, Tracy has also performed with the Temptations, Four Tops, and the Seattle Symphony. He can be heard on commercial recordings by the Charlie May All-Star Big Band, Grit City Octet, Pony Boy All-Star Big Band, and the Tracy Knoop Quartet. He continues to perform extensively throughout the Northwest and across the country.

Tracy has also won many accolades as a teacher and clinician. His approach centers the structural and functional understanding required of jazz improvisation, and maintains firm roots in the technical rigor required for virtuoso classical playing. Each year, his students consistently win or place at Washington State solo contests, and are accepted on scholarship into top-tier music schools across the country, including Eastman, Berklee, and the New School.