Noted percussionist and educator Rudy Royston will perform with the BGSU Jazz Lab Band I Tuesday, Sept. 24, at 8 p.m. in Kobacker Hall on campus. Tickets are $10.
The program will feature a number of Royston’s compositions including two arranged by BGSU faculty member David Bixler, who directs the big band.
Royston is on campus as the Jazz Spotlight artist. In addition to the performance Royston will conduct master classes with students on Wednesday afternoon.
Born in Fort Worth, Texas, and raised in Denver, Colorado, Rudy Royston has been a professional teacher, drummer and percussionist for almost twenty years.
Rudy grew up playing drums in church, and found his voice under the auspices of Colorado’s celebrated trumpeter Ron Miles, whom Royston deems his greatest influence, and with whom Rudy has played since 1991. He has taught, recorded and performed all styles of music from Jazz to marching percussion.
He studied classical percussion at University of Denver where earned undergraduate degrees in Music and English, and accomplished teacher certification credentials from Metropolitan State College of Denver.
Since moving to Piscataway, New Jersey in 2006, Royston has completed a Masters in Music degree from Rutgers University Mason Gross School of the Arts in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and performed with many of today’s finest Jazz musicians including Bill Frisell, Les McCann, Jason Moran, Sean Jones, Ravi Coltrane, Don Byron, Stanley Cowell, Tom Harrell, and The Mingus Big Band.
