Billy test
Billy Test (born February 21, 1989 in Philipsburg , Pennsylvania ) is an American jazz musician ( piano , composition , arrangement ) who has been a member of the WDR Big Band since 2018 .
Live and act
Test started playing the piano at the age of seven. He started out as a classical pianist. In 2011 he completed his bachelor's degree at William Paterson University with a double degree in jazz and classical piano with summa cum laude , and in the same year won the first concert competition in the history of this university. In May 2015 he completed his master's degree at the Manhattan School of Music , where Jim McNeely , Garry Dial , Phil Markowitz , Dave Liebman , Lisa Yui and Marjean Olson were his teachers. He was also taught by Jean-Michel Pilc , Frank Kimbrough , Sophia Rosoff, Marc Mommaas and Fred Hersch .
Test played with the Village Vanguard Orchestra and musicians like Dave Liebman , Scott Robinson , Joel Frahm , Leon Parker , Ugonna Okegwo , Sheila Jordan , Noah Preminger , Bill Goodwin , Jay Leonhart , Billy Drummond , Jerry Bergonzi and Dennis Mackrel . As a solo pianist and with his quintet The Test Subjects , he has performed in New York clubs such as the Cornelia Street Cafe and the Deer Head Inn . He is the soloist on Miho Hazama's album Dancer in Nowhere , Jon Di Fiores Yellow Petals , Olivia Foschis Fleeting Windows , Diane Hofmanns Do I Love You , Verena McBees Can't Help It! and Aimee Allen's Wings Uncaged . In 2018 he took over Frank Chastenier's place in the WDR Big Band.
As a teacher, he has taught at the New York Jazz Workshop , the Manhattan School of Music and the Manhattan School of Music Precollege . He has been a visiting musician and lecturer at Slippery Rock University , the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, and the Penn State Summer Music Academy .
Prizes and awards
Test received second place at the Montreux Jazz Piano Competition 2017, an honorary award at the Pearl and Julius Young Music Competition 2011 and was a semi-finalist at the Nottingham International Solo Jazz Piano Competition 2012. He was also the winner of the Graduate College in the category “outstanding soloists "at the 2015 student Music Awards of the downbeat .
Web links
- biography
- Web presence
- interview
- Billy test at Discogs (English)
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Test, Billy |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American jazz musician (piano, composition, arrangement) |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 21, 1989 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Philipsburg , Pennsylvania |