Jared Richardson is a musician from Victoria, BC, who plays the piano and trombone. Jared is a composer, and he has currently written more than 70 pieces spanning a number of genres including classical, rock/pop, and jazz. Many of his compositions have been performed by small jazz ensembles, high school bands, big bands, orchestras, and other musical groups. Jared has studied piano and music theory with Nicholas Fairbank, and trombone with Ian McDougall.
From 2007-2009, Jared was a member of the Spectrum Community School Band, and during his time there, 6 of his compositions were played by various ensembles, including the Senior Concert Band and Senior Jazz Band. Over those two years, Jared also formed and led two different jazz combo groups, both of which performed several of his original tunes at multiple concerts. From late 2008 to Spring 2011, Jared was a guest member of the SMUS Senior Jazz Band, in which he performed on both piano and trombone. The band played four of his original pieces at two concerts in 2009.
In 2009, 2010, and 2011, Jared participated in "vsNEW", a young composer's workshop offered by the Victoria Symphony. The pieces he wrote each year were performed by a trio of musicians from the orchestra, and all three won awards at the Greater Victoria Performing Arts Festival.
In the 2009/2010 year, he moved on to Reynolds Secondary School, where he was also an active member of the band program. The Reynolds Bands performed two of his concert band works and two of his jazz band charts. While attending Reynolds, Jared started a jazz & funk group, "The Jared Richardson Trio", which performed regularly at the Union Pacific Coffee Co. from January to May 2010, and was the House Band at the Superior Cafe from September to December 2010.
In April 2010, Jared's first orchestral piece, Winds of Kananaskis, was read by the Victoria Symphony. In the fall of 2010, he composed a second piece for orchestra, entitled Riders of the West, and it was read by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra on March 21, 2011.
From January to May 2010, Jared composed a 15-minute original score to a short action-adventure film directed by Tim Matthews. The film was premiered at a small theatre in Victoria in June 2010, and released online soon after. Jared later made an orchestral arrangement of the main theme from this soundtrack, Double Agent, and it was read by the Victoria Symphony on March 23, 2011.
In April 2011, a chamber orchestra arrangement of Jared's composition Winds of Kananaskis was performed at the two premiere concerts of Nicholas Fairbank's Sea Cantata. In May 2011, Jared was selected to play trombone in the Yamaha All-Star Band, a group made up of the best music students across Canada. At their performance, the band played Timetrain, Jared's latest composition for big band.
Jared has received a number of awards for his musical accomplishments:
"Top Performance in Senior Jazz Band" at Spectrum Community School (2008, 2009, and 2011)
"Save On Foods Amazing Kids Scholarship" (2009)First prize in the Composition Category at the Greater Victoria Performing Arts Festival (2009, 2010, and 2011)
"Jazz Musicianship Award" at Reynolds Secondary School (2010)
"Horizon Jazz Piano Award" at the Victoria Conservatory of Music (2010)
First prize in the Senior Category of the Murray Adaskin Composition Competition (2010)
"Hilda King Music Theory Award" from the B.C. Registered Music Teachers Association (2011)
Nomination for "Youth Artist of the Year" in the Vancouver Island Music Awards (2011)
"Adjudicator's Choice" award in the Composition Category at the Greater Victoria Performing Arts Festival (2011)
Piano sight-reading award at the Greater Victoria Performing Arts Festival (2011)
First place in the School District #61 Music Scholarship Competition (2011)