Biography Joel Holmes

Joel Holmes began teaching himself tunes by ear at age four.  His family soon moved from Virginia to Baltimore so that he could attend the Baltimore School for the Performing Arts.  Now, at age 25, Joel is the Director of Jazz at his alma mater.  Later, he attended the Peabody Conservatory of Music at John Hopkins University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Jazz Performance.

Over the years, Joel has received numerous honors including a gold medal in the Act-so competition of the NAACP, and honorable mention in the John Lennon Songwriting Competition, a finalist in the fifth annual Independent Music Awards and an honorable mention in the VH1 Song of the Year Awards.

Recently, Joel has toured the world has toured the world with Grammy-nominated jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove, vocalist Nnenna Freelon and has opened for quality acts such as The Temptations, The Manhattans, Regina Bell and Phil Percy.  With such a diverse educational and performing background, it is no surprise that his music blends so many styles and influences.  From contemporary jazz to gospel to funk to R&B, Joel can be heard fusing these genres and traditional jazz piano stylings such as Art Tatum, McCoy Tyner and Oscar Peterson.

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