Ryan Peterson

Ryan Peterson is a jazz guitarist, band leader, and educator based in Central New York.

Since moving to New York in 2023, Ryan is quickly becoming an in-demand guitarist. In July 2023, Ryan led his quartet as the opening act on the main stage at the Northeast Jazz and Wine Festival in Syracuse, NY – a festival with a history of attracting over 66,000 festival-goers to downtown Syracuse every summer. In April 2024, Ryan led his band at the 2024 “Scott LaFaro” Geneva Jazz Festival in Geneva, NY.

As a band leader, Ryan leads the Ryan Peterson Trio in performances in Central New York, the Finger Lakes region, and throughout the Northeast. Having been called a “wunderkind” by CNY Jazz Arts Foundation, Ryan’s bands perform decidedly modern, virtuosic, and forward-thinking interpretations of Great American Songbook standards.

Ryan completed his Master of Music in Jazz Performance at the prestigious University of North Texas College of Music in May 2023 where he was the Graduate Teaching Fellow in the Jazz Guitar studio. Ryan’s student combo was recognized in DownBeat Magazine and won the award for “Outstanding Performance.”

While a Teaching Fellow, Ryan taught applied guitar and directed one of the Jazz Guitar Lab Bands as Instructor of Record. Under Ryan’s direction, the group won the award for “Outstanding Ensemble” at the 2023 International Collegiate Guitar Ensemble Festival. In May 2023, Ryan was invited to present at the Forum on Jazz & Popular Music at the Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua where he gave his presentation entitled “Using the Altered Scale: Arpeggio and Triad Superimpositions for Modern Jazz Lines.” Ryan maintains an active commitment to teaching lessons in-person and online via Zoom.

During his time in Texas, Ryan performed in the Dallas / Fort Worth metroplex at venues such as Revelers Hall, Parker Jazz Club, Steve’s Wine Bar, and at the annual Denton Arts & Jazz Festival for two consecutive years. 

Ryan is a native Rhode Islander and began studying jazz guitar under Grammy-nominated jazz guitarist Jay Azzolina. Ryan earned his B.A. in Jazz Studies at the University of Rhode Island in Azzolina’s studio and graduated in May 2018 as a Talent Development Scholar.

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