Billy Mitchell, Founder and Executive Director of SAPPA
William “Billy” Mitchell is an educator, arts consultant, author, producer, and internationally renowned jazz musician whose career reflects a lifelong commitment to artistic excellence, youth development, and community service. Widely respected in Los Angeles and beyond, he has built a distinguished reputation as both a performer and a champion of high-quality music education for underserved communities.
Born in Tarrytown, New York, and raised in Buffalo, Mitchell earned his BA from Morehouse College, where his serious pursuit of music began. After moving to Los Angeles in 1970, he established himself as a sought-after musician, performing with artists such as Esther Phillips, Teddy Edwards, Randy Crawford, Linda Hopkins, Kenny Burrell, and has led acclaimed ensembles, appeared at international festivals and major venues, and recorded across straight-ahead jazz, bebop, and smooth jazz styles.
Alongside his performance career, Mitchell has devoted decades to arts education. He is the founder of the Scholarship Audition Performance Preparatory Academy (SAPPA), and the Watts Willowbrook Music Academy (WWMA) which has served as the centerpiece of his educational work since 2001. Through SAPPA he has developed performing arts workshops for Los Angeles County Schools, Los Angeles and Compton Unified School Districts, and has worked as a consultant with organizations including the Los Angeles Music Center, the GRAMMY Signature Schools Program, the NAACP ACTSO Scholarship Program, and California State University, Northridge.
Mitchell is also the author of The Gigging Musician and a longtime contributor to publications such as Gig Magazine, LA Jazz Scene Magazine, and Jazz Times. His many honors include the America West Jazz for the Next Generation Award, the Pasadena Arts Council Gold Crown Award, Union Bank/KCET’s Local Heroes Award and the Educational Advocacy and Leadership Award from the United Negro College Fund, and numerous other recognitions for his contributions to jazz, arts education, and youth development.