exciting artist AND engaging educator

In 2009 John Raymond earned his music degree from UW-Eau Claire and moved to New York to pursue a career as a jazz musician. Six years have passed and John has had great professional success. He has collaborated with musicians such as Billy Hart, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Orrin Evans, Linda Oh, Ethan Iverson, Dan Tepfer and Gilad Hekselman. He also has recorded with Grammy-nominated singer Sara Bareilles and Dove Award-winning producer Darnell Davis, and he’s performed at events such as the Austin City Limits Music Festival and on NPR's “Toast of the Nation.” His 2015 album "Foreign Territory" was released to critical acclaim from The New York Times, Downbeat Magazine and others. His composition “Deeper” on that album was chosen as a winner of the 2015 Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award presented by ASCAP, making John the third Blugold in three years (and the fourth overall) to receive the prestigious honor (see story on earlier winners from UW-Eau Claire). It’s all a little dizzying when one considers how far he’s come in such a short time, and John says UW-Eau Claire had a big role in getting him there. Of his UW-Eau Claire experience, John has said, "The music education and mentoring I received is a very rare combination that I'm convinced has helped springboard my career and establish me as an up-and-coming musician in New York." So John is paying it forward, working as a guest clinician and soloist in university and high school classrooms across the country. There, he draws from his musical knowledge and experiences as a young professional to help students who, like him, aspire to succeed as professional musicians. John Raymond has established himself as an exciting young artist AND an engaging educator … and that’s pretty powerful!