Results for "musical theatre"

Michael Collins

Michael Collins, pianist and award-winning composer, is a graduate of the Thornton School of Music at USC, where he studied with jazz masters Shelly Berg, Russ Ferrante, and Kim Richmond. Originally from Phoenix, Arizona, Michael studied in his own back yard with jazz legend Armand Boatman at the "Granada Conservatory" (Armand's living room on Granada Street). Michael's piano playing and arranging is modern yet deeply rooted in the jazz tradition. His big band composition "Sketch Artist" was awarded honorable mention in the ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Awards, and his big band arrangement of "El Sur" was featured on "40 Acres and a Burro," a GRAMMY-nominee for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album

Molly Plaisted

Born: September 9, 2000

Molly Plaisted (they/them) is a rising Hartford-based drummer, composer, arranger, and educator. Focusing on Jazz, Molly began their study of the drums at age five. While attending Nashua High School South, Molly’s music education was built upon performing in large ensembles, including the NH Jazz All-State Big Band and the Spartans Drum and Bugle Corps. Molly’s passion to pursue a musical career was sparked as they began composing and arranging music at age sixteen.

In 2022, Molly graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Jazz and Afro-American Music Studies from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, studying under Jeffrey W. Holmes, Tom Giampietro, and Felipe Salles. While at UMass Amherst, Molly’s studies at UMass Amherst led them to perform as the principal drum set player in the Downbeat award-winning Jazz Ensemble 1 and Marimba Band 1. They also were appointed as the center snare for the Sudler Trophy award-winning UMass Minuteman Marching Band and led its nationally recognized percussion section. Molly produced and released two remotely recorded EPs, a junior and a senior recital, and composed and arranged dozens of works. By the end of their time at UMass Amherst, Molly was awarded The Fletcher Henderson/Max Roach Scholarship Award for their outstanding achievements and dedication to the Jazz Studies program and represented the UMass Jazz Department in New York City at the International Association of Schools of Jazz 2022 conference.

Keith Wong

Keith Wong, a jazz vocalist and composer, discovered his passion for music in Hong Kong, where he was born and raised. Having graduated from the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague, Netherlands, in 2022, he is one of the few singers from Hong Kong who received formal jazz vocal training. He brings a diverse cultural background to his music, enriching it with his choral and theatrical experiences.

Known for his creative writing, Keith Wong won the Best Original Music of the Year at the Beehive Music Award 2022 from A Cappella China. Fueling his artistic pursuits, Keith Wong received support from both the Sena Performers Music Production Funds in the Netherlands and the Hong Kong Art Development Council in 2023, facilitating the creation of his debut "Intertwined." Every song on the album bears his creative fingerprint, blending elements of modern jazz, choral arrangement, and theatrical essence.

Stacy Gabel

Stacy is an accomplished performer, recording artist, and award winning singer-songwriter from the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania. She has been consistently releasing new music under her Catch My Riff Records label and touring on the East Coast of the US including recent performances in Nashville, Los Angeles and the Tampa Bay, FL areas. She enjoys performing soft folky pop music as a solo act with her acoustic guitar or being backed by top notch musicians for an occasional jazzy pop show or even a beachy soft rock show and loves sharing her original songs with audiences on stages and in theaters

Kaori Yamada

Born: December 23, 1971

KAORI YAMADA DRUMMER Jazz drummer Kaori Yamada was born in Takamatsu, Kagawa Pref., Japan. Kaori started to learn the piano at the age of 4 and she graduated from the School of Music, at Takamatsu Junior College, majoring in classical piano. Kaori began to play drums on her own initiative at the age of 14. She was particularly interested in Soul, R&B, and Jazz, music her brother was listening to at the time, and she developed a strong desire to become a professional drummer. From 1991 to 1995, Kaori was based in Hiroshima where she qualified as a drum instructor under the R.C.C. Takeshi Inomata Drum School at YAMAHA Music Shops, Chugoku Region

Mami Matsuura

Born in Japan, Mami Matsuura is a versatile pianist in the NYC area. She is a sought-after performer on various projects in many different styles of music. She graduated from Berklee College of Music in December 2019.

 Mami was selected as a member of the Piano Department Concert and was awarded the Jazz Performance Award while at Berklee. Mami is currently working as Keyboard 1 for CATS North American Tour. She is going to release her first original song in October.

Maria Damore

Born: December 10, 1962

Maria Damore is a vocalist and private voice teacher from Berks County, PA, and 2022 recipient of the Berks Jazz Fest Frank Scott award for contributions to Berks County’s Jazz Heritage. Maria has been an educator for Olivet Boys & Girls Club, adjudicator for vocal competitions, and clinician for GetJazzED, Berks-Vocal Day. She has been featured in Classical Singer magazine, discussing her work in the original children’s jazz-opera, The Bear Prince, and her Greek folk music duo “Stavros & Maria.” Known as a versatile singer who easily crosses genres, Maria was thrilled to compete as a quarterfinalist in the 2018 American Traditions Vocal Competition in Savannah, Georgia

Sopio

Born: November 29

Sopio Murusidze is a New York-based vocalist, composer, and lyricist from the charming city Tbilisi, Georgia. She has been singing since she could speak and started training in classical piano from the age of five. Having a musically immersive childhood led Sopio to be influenced by jazz, classical, Georgian folk, R&B and soul. While attending Tbilisi State Conservatorium she had performed in the city’s major concert halls, jazz clubs and was featured in the most-watched daytime TV shows such as “Our Morning” on Georgian Broadcaster and “Afternoon” on GDS TV. In 2015 Sopio was awarded for participating in Young Musicians Contents at Movement Theatre in Tbilisi, Georgia. Sopio moved to New York City to expand her musical horizon and earned her Bachelor's Degree at The New School of Jazz & Contemporary Music

Tobin Mueller

Born: December 3, 1955

Tobin Mueller is a composer, playwright and interpretive pianist living in Connecticut. His musical compositions range from Jazz Fusion to Progressive Rock, Broadway musicals to Old-School Funk, Jamband classics to Classical ballet. In the late 1970s he was one of several composer-pianists who developed what became known as New Age music, although Tobin's style identifies more closely with complex modal/post-bop jazz. Mueller is a NYC Dramatist Guild playwright/lyricist, a member of ASCAP, and has appeared on over 35 albums.

Joseph A Roberts

Born: March 1, 1964

Joseph was born with an insatiable drive to play the piano. Once he was tall enough to reach the keyboard, he went at it until his parents had no choice but to procure adequate training. After a few years of public school, Joseph noticed that he would be routinely pulled out of class to provide music for rehearsals and assemblies. Who wouldn’t milk that for all it’s worth? By the time he finished elementary school, Joseph played cello in the orchestra, trumpet in the band and he sang in the choir. In middle school, he began to notice the difference between the sound of a piano playing music and an orchestra playing the same music