Results for "piano"

Sora Ichikawa

Born: May 7, 1998

Sora Ichikawa is a Japanese jazz pianist, composer, singer-songwriter.

He began learning classical piano at the age of 4. At 14, he was deeply impressed by ragtime piano, which inspired him to pursue jazz music.

In 2017, he entered Senzoku Gakuen College of Music. He graduated at the top of his class from the jazz course at the same college in 2021. In May 2023, he released his first album, "Genseki!!!!!!" digitally. Later that year, in August, he participated in the Seiko Summer Jazz Camp and won the Best Arrange & Composition Award. In May 2024, the physical CD version of his first album was released. He is active not only in jazz but also in genres such as pop, R&B, and contemporary music. In addition to performing, he also produces music and composes tracks using DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations).

Baturay Yarkin

Born: April 1, 1991

A versatile and accomplished pianist, Dr. Baturay Yarkın has performed on prestigious stages globally, from Aya Irini in İstanbul to renowned festivals and concert halls in Europe, the USA, and beyond. His music transcends genres, blending classical, jazz, tango, and Ottoman/Turkish Folk music.

Baturay Yarkın (1991) was born in a family, full of generations of musicians. He resides in İstanbul, where had been a historical and cultural center of various civilizations. He won first place in Istanbul University State Conservatory, Department of Classical Piano part time program at the age of 7. He won 3rd place for European Young Pianists Competition at the age of 12, training with Prof. Meral Yapalı. He studied classical music, jazz, Argentina tango, Turkish music and composition until doctoral level graduation.

Nathan Koci

Nathan Koci is a composer, performer, and music director working across a variety of stylers and disciplines, from theater to dance to improvised and experimental musics. As an accordionist, he has performed and recorded with Sam Sadigursky, Guy Klucevsek, South African artist William Kentridge, Maira Kalman, the Micheal Leonhart Orchestra, and the improvising chamber quartet The Hands Free (Caroline Shaw, Eleonore Oppenheimer, James Moore). 

As a seasoned music director, he has conducted Tony-award winning shows on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and internationally. Credits include Sufjan Stevens and Justin Peck’s Illinoise, Anais Mitchell’s Hadestown (1st National Tour), Daniel Fish’s reimagined Oklahoma! and Most Happy In Concert, and Ted Hearne’s The Source. 

Tim Stuart

Born: February 28, 1987

Born into a musical family in Staunton, Virginia in 1987, Tim grew up constantly surrounded by music. His love of music first came from seeing jam sessions at his godfather’s house rockin’ parties as a young child. Enthralled by the creativity and passion of the professional musicians around him, Tim began studying piano at age 5, and later added saxophone at age 11. A quick study and natural at the instrument, Tim began performing professionally as a freelance saxophonist at age 16, where he cut his teeth in the bars, clubs, and wedding bands of the Shenandoah Valley. Driven to instill his passion for music in others, Tim decided to pursue a degree in Music at Bridgewater College in Bridgewater, Virginia after graduating high school in 2005. Studying saxophone with Dave Pope, Charles “Bucky” Clark, and David Snively, as well as jazz improvisation with trumpeter Tim Weir and keyboard/arranging/composition with Dr. Larry Taylor, Tim further refined his skills as not just as saxophonist, but as a well rounded artist-educator. A recipient of the 2009 Outstanding Jazz Band Member and the prestigious Nelson T. Huffman Award for Musical Excellence, Tim would go on to become a licensed music teacher in the state of Virginia after graduating from Bridgewater Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Music with a Concentration in Pre K-12 Instrumental Music Education in 2009.

Rahel Talts

Rahel Talts is a younger generation rising jazz pianist and composer from Estonia. In her music, she likes to mix jazz with elements from folk, pop and fusion, using sweet melodies, interesting rhythmic layers and switching between acoustic piano and electric keyboard sound. Rahel plays in many different bands and projects over Europe, either as a leader or a sidewoman.

Ben Tweedt

Ben Tweedt is a pianist, composer, arranger, and music educator based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Born in Brunswick, Ohio and raised in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Ben began his classical training on the piano from a young age. By the beginning of his Piano Performance bachelor's degree at the University of Nebraska-Omaha at the age of 17, he began to switch his focus to improvisation and composition while actively participating in the Omaha music scene.

In 2016, Ben moved to his current home city of Cincinnati, where he works full-time as a freelance musician, performing and teaching around the region spanning many genres and playing with a variety of artists. In addition to his own projects including a piano trio and a progressive jazz fusion quartet, Ben performs regularly with other notable musicians in the region including drummer/percussionist Walfredo Reyes Jr. and guitarist Dan Wilson. Ben was also the grand prize winner of the 2019 American Jazz Pianist Competition at the Yamaha Artist Center in New York.

Dimitri Nassar

Born: January 23

Pianist/Music Educator

Dimitri Nassar was born in East Cleveland, Ohio, where he began playing the piano at five years old at the insistence of his father Ivan Nassar, a professional piano tuner. Dimitri’s early piano studies took place at the Cleveland Music School Settlement and the Cleveland Institute of Music under distinguished pianist and jazz educator Cliff Habian. With more than a decade of piano instruction under his belt, Dimitri Nassar was accepted into Shaw High School's jazz ensemble “Rhythm Teens” and was later recruited to further his talents at South Carolina State University, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in music education. Dimitri later earned a master’s degree in music education from Anderson University.  

Alex Ventling

Alexander Ventling (1994), is a Swiss pianist originally born and raised in New Zealand. After a short stay in New York after high-school, Alex received scholarship at Berklee College of Music, however decided to attend the Jazzcampus Basel. He completed his Masters degree in Jazz Piano and Music Pedagogy in August 2019, studying with many great icons of the field (Mark Turner, Jorge Rossy, Larry Grenadier, Guillermo Klein, etc). Alex started the European Jazz Masters program in Autumn 2020. This personalised music performance degree began at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen and will continue through Berlin and Trondheim.

Katia Toobool

Brian Felix

Born: May 12, 1977

Brian Felix is widely recognized as an accomplished and versatile jazz keyboardist. He was co-leader of OM Trio, an acclaimed San Francisco-based jazz-rock group that toured internationally between 1999-2004. Brian is active today as a performer and recording artist with his Brian Felix Organ Trio and other groups. His new album, Level Up, is due out in March 2025, and features Felix on organ, Tim Fischer on guitar and Evan Martin on drums. Felix is based in Asheville, NC, USA.

Felix has performed at notable venues and festivals, including the Fillmore Auditorium and Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, the Bowery Ballroom and Mercury Lounge in NYC, and the Aberdeen Jazz Festival in Aberdeen, Scotland