Jeremy Siskind

STATS Rank: 11,153 Views: 2,190

Primary Instrument: Piano

Pianist, composer, and educator Jeremy Siskind is “a remarkable pianist” and “a rising star on the jazz scene” according to legendary pianist Marian McPartland. Siskind, from Irvine, California, began playing the piano at a very young age. By his early teens, he was performing original compositions all over the country through Yamaha’s Junior Original Concert program; twice, Siskind was even flown to Tokyo, Japan to represent the United States in front of Japanese audiences. Both his playing and composing quickly thrived upon beginning to study jazz with pianists Linda Martinez and Tamir Hendelman: he won first place in the soloist competition at the Fullerton College Jazz Festival, “Most Outstanding Rhythm Section Player” in the Reno Jazz Festival, and received scholarships from the “Friends of Jazz,” “O.C. Community Foundation Centennial Arts,” and the “Vail Jazz Foundation”; he also became the youngest winner of the American Society of Composers, Authors, & Publisher’s (ASCAP) Young Jazz Composer’s Awards while still in high school in 2002.

Siskind won a sizable scholarship to the famous Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, to study with Harold Danko, Tony Caramia, and Bill Dobbins, among others. Fascinated by opportunities at Eastman outside the jazz realm, he added a major in Music Theory to complement his Jazz Performance studies and pursued complex musical projects, including learning to improvise in the style of Debussy’s Preludes, attempting to spontaneously compose fugues, and dissecting the art of the classical Fantasia form. Recognized by his peers as well as mentors, Siskind was voted the undergraduate student representative for the Eastman Jazz and Contemporary Music Department for the 2007-2008 school year; he also received the Anne Theodora Cummins prize for most outstanding student in the humanities. Outside of school, Siskind twice took second place at the Kathleen T. and Philip B. Phillips Jazz Piano Competition; in 2006, he joined an incredible list including Bill Evans, Teddy Wilson, and Wynton Marsalis as a guest on the famed NPR show Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz; McPartland later honored Siskind as her choice for the first Marian McPartland Fellowship, a merit scholarship awarded to an outstanding Eastman jazz student. A year later, Siskind was selected as one of only five finalists nationwide in a search for the American Pianists Association’s Cole Porter Fellow; he performed in Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center in 2008, the former as part of Fred Hersch’s “Solo, Duo, Trio” workshop, a musical experience that has liberated and shaped his music ever since.

Upon graduating from Eastman, Siskind began pursuing a Master’s degree at Columbia University in English and Comparative Literature. Not only did this move allow him to attend one of America’s greatest universities, but it also facilitated a move to New York City, the center of the jazz world. Siskind has already made his mark in the Big Apple jazz scene, recording with musicians like Chris Potter, Marcus Printup, Chris Lightcap, Ted Poor, and Jo Lawry, and performing at jazz clubs like Iridium, Fat Cat, Small’s, and the Jazz Gallery. As a pedagogue, Siskind’s recent work includes writing for Clavier Companion magazine, composing beginning piano music for FJH publishers, and instructing students across the country for the Yamaha Corporation of America. He studies piano in New York City with gurus Sophia Rosoff and Fred Hersch.

Last Updated: January 9, 2011

”Jeremy's dedication and devotion to what he is doing makes me believe that he will add a great deal to our world of music” - Sophia Rosoff

“Extremely musical, virtuosic, packed with healthy fun and connection to the audience, and played with a beautiful touch” �” Denny Zeitlin

“Jeremy Siskind is my favorite all-time pianist” - Lea DeLaria

“Great stage presence and enthusiasm” �” Lynne Arriale

“Brilliant and Accomplished” �” Fred Hersch

“Siskind thinks as fast his as fingers move.” �” David A. Orthmann, allaboutjazz.com

“Jeremy is a gifted young jazz pianist and composer who has distinguished himself once again with his new honor from DownBeat. His pianism and musicality are strongly in evidence on his award-winning composition. His future looks brighter than ever and I am very proud to have been involved in his formative years at Eastman.” - Harold Danko (upon Siskind winning Downbeat award)

“A remarkable young pianist” �” Marian McPartland

“Siskind enters the major leagues of the jazz world in impressive style.” �” Ed Blanco, ejazznews.com

“Peering into a crystal ball to divine the future of jazz, this writer expects to see pianist Jeremy Siskind and friends in the reflection of what's to come. Superior keyboard prowess, excellence in set programming, and commendable presentation skills are apparent whenever he takes to any stage.” - Johnny Aruba, Hot House Florida

“Jeremy is a brilliant musician, fresh and inventive in every situation - as a solo pianist, in an ensemble or as an accompanist particularly with vocalists. Someone to watch” - Christine Correa

“A rising star on the jazz scene” �” Marian McPartland

“Siskind was particularly notable for his lively and textured performance - the communication between the two artists produced the best music on the Upper West Side that evening” - from a review of a show by Lucas Kwong, blogs.myspace.com/panasianrep

“It may suffice to say that Jeremy Siskind is a brilliant young musical talent who plays on a level of sophistication usually reserved for players further along in life’s struggles. The music on Prophecy, however, goes well beyond recognition of an emerging young lion.” - John Barron, jazzreview.com

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