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Victor Haskins

Victor Haskins is an international performer, visionary, multi-instrumentalist, improviser, sound artist, composer, arranger, bandleader, interdisciplinary collaborator, and educator.

Victor’s main performing projects are “Victor Haskins & Moving Sound Pictures" and “Victor Haskins’ Skein". Moving Sound Pictures is an innovative, one-man-band where Victor extemporaneously improvises intricate, interactive soundscapes and spontaneous compositions. Elements of existing artistic traditions from around the world are evoked, repurposed, and filtered through his imagination. Additionally, Victor frequently collaborates with dancers in this setting, improvising collectively across mediums to orchestrate a powerful, cinematic experience. In Victor Haskins’ Skein, Victor is joined by a live bassist and drummer to explore the possibilities of collective improvisation through the forum of compositions and arrangements he has crafted for the ensemble, delighting and intriguing audiences with intense auditory interplay. Victor is known for his masterful use of the cornet, and unique integration of sound design triggered by electronic wind instrument (EWI) in both of these projects.

Some notable highlights from Mr. Haskins’ performance career thus far include the creation of his own improvisational concept—"Melodic Improvisation"—as well as an independently-conceived music genre that is based on that concept, called “ImproviStory" (which later evolved into his current project, “Moving Sound Pictures"). He released his debut album of all original compositions—“The Truth"—on 32 Bar Records in March of 2013, and will release his second album of original compositions—“Showing Up"—in February of 2019.

Victor has been featured at the Richmond Jazz Festival (2013-2015), Richmond’s 2nd Street Festival (2011, 2016), the Elkhart Jazz Festival (2014), the Apex Jazz Festival (2014), and the Festival of New Trumpet Music (2014). He has performed in venues such as the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Millennium Stage (Washington, D.C.), the W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts (Richmond, VA), Ewell Hall (Williamsburg, VA), the Jazz Gallery (NYC), iBeam (NYC), Résonance Café (Montreal, CA), Diese Onze (Montreal, CA), Snug Harbor (New Orleans, LA), the University of KwaZulu-Natal (Durban, South Africa), Teatro SESI Rio Vermelho (Salvador, Bahia, BR) and others. In addition, some of Victor's activities are supported by grants from the National Endowment of the Arts, and the Virginia Commission for the Arts.

As an educator, Victor currently serves as the Director of In-School Jazz Ensembles for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Adjunct Professor of Jazz Trumpet at the College of William & Mary, and the Director of the Jazz Ensemble at the College of William & Mary. Previously, he served on the faculty of the inaugural Izmir International Jazz Camp (2012). Haskins has presented clinics and masterclasses on a variety of music-related topics at institutions including (but not limited to) the Jazz Education Network Conference, the University of Georgia, Virginia Commonwealth University, the Royal Academy of Music, Conservatoir Nadia et Lili Boulanger, the University of Richmond, TEDxVCU, and TEDxLizardCreek.

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3
Album Review

Victor Haskins: Ikigai

Read "Ikigai" reviewed by Nicholas F. Mondello


Ikigai is a Japanese concept which pertains to leading a vibrant, fulfilling, purposeful life. Over his career, Victor Haskins, who spent his early years in India, has obviously been influenced by the improvisational potential of music. With Ikigai, the visionary performer, composer and creator of “ImproviStory" delivers an utterly enthralling sonic exploration in nine originals. The opener, “A New Way," has the cornetist calling the exotic theme which ensuingly provides Haskins an enormous opportunity to expand his ...

4
Album Review

Victor Haskins: Showing Up

Read "Showing Up" reviewed by Nicholas F. Mondello


Since he burst onto the scene, Victor Haskins has developed a robust reputation as a modern-day jazz storyteller. His utterly sincere approach to his art is in the highest jazz tradition of exploration and innovation. With Showing Up, Haskins has taken his message to yet another higher level. The album, Haskins' second, presents his “Skein"--comprised of himself acoustically and electro-enhanced, a bassist and percussionist--delivering ten highly intelligent, textured tracks. Each presents its own eclectic musical poetry. Haskins ...

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Catching Up With

Victor Haskins: Embracing His Audience

Read "Victor Haskins: Embracing His Audience" reviewed by Nicholas F. Mondello


Victor Haskins is one of those young musicians who seems to be able to do it all. He's an award-winning trumpeter, composer/arranger and educator/clinician--all at 21 years old. His debut recording, The Truth (32 Bar Records, 2013) received significant well-deserved acclaim. Haskins, a young visionary, has developed ImproviStory, what he describes as a new and emerging form of audience-generated extemporaneous musical improvisation. We caught up with Victor as he prepares to perform ImproviStory at this year's Festival of New Trumpet ...

5
Album Review

Victor Haskins: The Truth

Read "The Truth" reviewed by Nicholas F. Mondello


Many years ago, there was a radio then television show called “Truth or Consequences." The premise was rather sophomoric: contestants were asked trivia questions and, if they failed to answer correctly, they were “buzzed off" and subsequently given goofy “tasks" which usually resulted in laughs at the contestant's expense. With The Truth the consequences for Richmond-based--but internationally recognized--trumpeter, Victor Haskins will be anything but embarrassing. The youthful Haskins leads his ace quintet through seven of his highly ...

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“As trumpeter, Haskins possesses marvelous chops, great technical ability, savvy horn-sense and a flowing ease of execution that allows him to explore exciting, rhythmically unique improvised lines that hint of Woody Shaw. His trumpet sound is full, resonant and highly attractive across the range of horn ("Morning"). Haskins' improvised lines are filled with "flow-juice" and they spark rhythmic nuggets which he quickly and effectively develops.”

-Nicholas Mondello (All About Jazz)

“A third festival venue was introduced this year, with the MeadWestvaco Stage promising straight-ahead jazz acts. Fitting that stage’s intent, Charlie Parker’s “Billie’s Bounce” opened the day, courtesy of the Victor Haskins Trio. It was a hot, impressive set where the trumpet of Haskins, a Virginia native, soared easily over the other sounds.”

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Primary Instrument

Cornet

Willing to teach

Beginner to advanced

Credentials/Background

Director, In-School Jazz Ensembles for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, January 2014-present • Created program content • Leads band into schools and exposes/introduces kids to jazz/improvised music through performance, demonstration, and interactive activities Special Guest/Faculty, Izmir International Jazz Camp, July 2012 • Taught private lessons and led classes on trumpet, technique, ensemble performance, and jazz theory • Performed concerts with faculty in various locations in Izmir and Cunda Island Private Lesson Teacher, June 2011-present • Lessons taught in-person and online (via Skype) • Student ages range from 10- to 65-years-old • Topics covered: improvisation, trumpet, musicianship, composition Clinician/Speaker, 2010-present • Gives presentations on music-related topics (career, jazz, improvisation, trumpet playing, ensemble playing, ImproviStory etc.) to both musician and non- musician audiences in a variety of venues and settings (partial list below): A.G. Wright Middle School George H. Moody Middle School Jazz Education Network Conference J.E.B. Stuart Elementary School Lynchburg Music Center Mountain View High School Saint Gertrude High School T. Benton Gayle Middle School TEDxLizardCreek Conservatoir Nadia et Lili Boulanger TEDxVCU Royal Academy of Music George Washington Middle School Cunningham Park Elementary The Collegiate School University of Richmond VCU Yasar University YouTube 6 Points Innovation Center

Clinic/Workshop Information

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Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Ikigai

Self-Produced
2023

buy

Showing Up

Self Produced
2019

buy

The Truth

32bar Music
2013

buy

Videos

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