Meet Bill Alexson, an American jazz pianist and composer. He has performed on three continents and has worked with legends such as NEA Jazz Master bassist Dave Holland, platinum-selling recording artists such as Jaci Velasquez and David Phelps, and the Emmy-nominated Annie Moses Band.
While accumulating miles on the road, he has also covered musical ground. As a jazz pianist, he was awarded Second Prize at both the American Jazz Pianist Competition and the international Jacksonville Jazz Piano Competition. As a classical soloist, he performed Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Trevecca Symphony Orchestra, as well as Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue.
Alexson began his classical piano studies in upstate New York at the age of seven. Within months, he had fallen in love with the piano and soon began to compose his own music.
After discovering jazz improvisation as a teenager, his fascination with the art form led him to study jazz piano at Belmont University, where he graduated with a B.M. in Commercial Music.
Moving to Boston, he earned a master’s degree in Jazz Studies/Performance at the New England Conservatory of Music, where he was the recipient of the Presidential Distinction Award. While at the conservatory, he studied privately with Miguel Zenón, Jason Moran, Frank Carlberg, Jerry Bergonzi, and Donny McCaslin.
As an educator, Alexson has given lessons, classes, or clinics in Africa, Europe, and North America. He seeks to bridge cultural boundaries through music and spread the joy of jazz improvisation among the next generation.
