PIANO

Keyboardist and composer Richard Shulman creates music intended to be a positive influence for himself, audiences and society. Richard has recorded 30 of his own albums and collaborated on dozens more. Trained in the classical and jazz fields, he has developed a heartfelt language in these genres while focusing a significant amount of his output on music for meditation, healing, and inspiration. He has performed at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Art Park, the United Nations, the Kool Jazz Festival, The Amenia Peace Festival, and throughout North America and in Europe. Shulman has composed over 85 jazz tunes plus pieces for chamber ensemble, choir, and symphony orchestra.

Richard Shulman moved to Asheville, NC in 1998 and continues to compose, record and play, supported by this warm, loving community. He was music director at Unity of the Blue Ridge and taught jazz piano at UNCA until his recent retirement from both positions. Last year, he participated in the Rhapsody 100 concert, celebrating the anniversary of the debut of Rhapsody in Blue. Shulman’s contribution was his piece “Indigo Fantasy,” conducted by none other than Dr. Emily Eng! He is thrilled to be working with Emily again as they present “Mom.”

Learn more about Shulman’s success HERE.

DRUM SET

A native of northeastern Ohio, Justin Watt has lived in the Asheville, N.C. area for several years.  After receiving his B.M. in Percussion Performance from Kent State University and his M.M. in Percussion Performance from Youngstown State University, he spent over 2 years as the drummer for the Glenn Miller Orchestra, where he toured the U.S., Canada and Japan.  In early 2008, Justin moved to Asheville where he has since kept a busy schedule of teaching (UNCA, Furman University and the Asheville Music School) and performing regularly as a free-lance drummer/percussionist.  He performs in a variety of settings, mostly as a jazz and commercial drummer and as a classical percussionist.

SAXOPHONE

Will Boyd, a multi-reed instrumentalist, composer, and educator, embodies the soul sax tradition of legends like Eddie Harris, Hank Crawford, and Johnny Hodges. Originally from Orangeburg, SC, and Queens, NY, he now resides in Asheville, NC, where he serves on the music faculty at UNC Asheville and Warren Wilson College. A former member of the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra, Will has released three solo albums and co-leads a group with his wife, jazz vocalist and radio host Kelle Jolly. A South Carolina State University graduate and inductee into its Jazz Hall of Fame, Will has performed with a diverse array of artists, including Leslie Odom Jr., Wycliffe Gordon, and Regina Carter, and appeared at festivals like Big Ears and Peter Barakan's It's Magic in Tokyo. With Kelle, he has toured internationally, appeared on The Jazzy Vegetarian, and performed in musical theater productions, earning accolades such as the MLK Award for the Arts. Will also contributed to the PBS documentary and opera celebrating painter Beauford Delaney and remains an active force in Asheville’s jazz scene, directing the Contemporary Jazz Ensemble and performing weekly with various groups.

PIANO

Pianist, composer, scholar and educator William Bares received his Ph.D in ethnomusicology from Harvard in 2009. He taught at Harvard, Brown, Berklee and NEC before taking a job as professor of music and co-director of jazz studies at UNC Asheville. His research interests include transatlantic jazz, jazz-classical crossovers, and environmental music. He currently serves as the NEH Distinguished Professor in the Humanities at UNC Asheville, having published widely, with articles appearing in Jazz Perspectives, Jazz Research Journal, and American Music, among others. His book, “Jazz and the European Dream" is forthcoming on Routledge Press. Bares is also an active performer. After earning his MM from the University of Miami in 1999, he played professionally in New York, Boston and Europe. Since 2011, Bares has been an active member of Asheville's musical community, coordinating the Asheville Jazz Workhshop and the Sunday "Jazz Showcase" at Asheville’s famed Isis Music Hall. He has released four albums as a leader or co-leader, and his modern jazz group, The Core, was voted "Best Jazz Group” in the Mountain XPress Best of Western North Carolina awards. Discover more billbaresmusic on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and billbaresmusic.com.

BASS

Zach Bezirgan is a jazz bassist and poet from Chicago. He is currently studying in his undergrad in Music and English with a focus in Creative Writing at the University of North Carolina Asheville. He has trained in jazz bass for six years now, and performed at several venues in Chicago, including the Chicago Jazz Festival.