General Biography
At just twenty nine years of age, Steven Solomon is one of the nation's most talented, prolific, experienced and extraordinary young adult musicians. He unites the world of jazz, pop and classical into his music. In the last nineteen years Steven has had over 1,500 performances, since his first professional performance at age ten.
Steven has been performing professionally in his hometown of Chicago and around the country since he was ten years old.
Steven currently resides in Los Angeles and performs and provides his piano and music services to clients in both Los Angles and back in his hometown of Chicago and around the nation.
(note that in his bio you'll see mainly references to Chicago, as he relocated to Los Angeles just three years ago)
Steven had his debut performance at CARNEGIE HALL in New York City at the age of twenty !!
On Sunday, May 30, 2010, Steven played the piano in a concert at Carnegie Hall in the Stern Auditorium/Ronald Perelman Stage in New York City. CLICK HERE to read more about Steven's Debut at Carnegie Hall.
For seven years, starting at just the age of twelve, Steven performed twice a month at the popular Leona’s Restaurant on Sheridan Road in Rogers Park in Chicago. He also played for a number of years at Ethiopian Diamond Restaurant in Edgewater in Chicago. He has performed on stage at Chicago’s Symphony Center a half a dozen times. He has played at the Jazz Showcase during the annual CAMTA Jazz Festival ten times. He has also performed on the Pritzker Stage at Millennium Park, the Green Mill Jazz Club, the United Center, Navy Pier, Joe’s BeBop Café, Hot House, Chicago Cultural Center (Preston Bradley Hall & Randolph Street Cafe), various Border’s Books stores, Marshall Fields, Walnut Room, SPACE in Evanston, and numerous other top Chicago area music venues.
In Los Angeles Steven has played at venues including the Westin LAX, Disneyland, Luminarias, Crystal Cathedral, Gibson Guitar Showroom, The University Club in Pasadena, Temenos 34, MCAU, 626 Night Market in Arcadia and in Orange County, Push Play Music Festival, Back Bay Bristo-Newport Dunes Resort in New Port Beach, The Towers at Laguna Woods and more and at private exclusive high end events (both large and intimate) for some of Hollywood's top stars and industry trendsetters.
Steven has performed at many area festivals, including the Annual Chicago Jazz Festival in Grant Park, Lincoln Park Festival, Park West Antique Fair, Lake View East Art Festival, Rogers Park Studio Walk and Street Fair, Antiques Chicago Exposition, Made in Chicago-Home Cooked Jazz Festival, Edgewater Alley Jazz Fest, Harry Osterman's 48th Ward Senior Fair (4 times), the Edgewater Arts Festival (4 times) and the Wilmette Festival.
Steven has performed across the nation. Along with the aforementioned performance at Carnegie Hall in New York City, he has played in Las Vegas at the Liberace Museum, in California at Disneyland’s Main Street Café, at the TAXI A&R Music Business Convention in Los Angeles, the Rincon Center in San Francisco, the Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone National Park, the Deadwood Saloon and Theater in Deadwood South Dakota, the Al Sears Jazz Festival in Macomb, Illinois (for 4 consecutive years), Shiloh's Restaurant in Macomb, Illinois monthly for two years while attending college, the Towers of Laguna Woods in California, an international talent show at the University of Georgia in Athens Georgia, and as a winner of the National History Day Contest, representing the State of Illinois, performing at the national competition at the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland.
In 2014 Steven was invited to be an 'Artist in Residence' at Lyon College in Batesville Arkansas to conduct a Master Class in Jazz Improvisation Techniques and to perform a solo jazz piano concert for the College and community (you can see the whole concert on Steven's Youtube Channel... www.YouTube.com/user/MusicBySteven/videos ).
In the Edgewater-Uptown Community of Chicago, Steven has performed at Reza’s Restaurant, Ethiopian Diamond Restaurant, The Little Mexican Café, Calo’s, Broadway Cellars, Charlie’s Ale House, Speakeasy, Pressure Cafe, Edgewater Historical Museum, Hull House, Griffin Theatre, Broadway Armory, Pressure Café, Lickity Split, Peppitones, Edgewater Saddle and Cycle Club, Loyola University, Edgewater Farmers Market, The Breakers of Edgewater and other venues.
He has entertained at various fund raisers and events for Mayor Richard Daley, Maggie Daley, Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, Indiana Governor Pence, Illinois State Senator Heather Steans, Illinois State Representative and now Chicago 48th Ward Alderman Harry Osterman, Chicago Alderman Mary Ann Smith, Carol Ronan, Jack Markowski, Janet Murphy, Peter Fassasis, Grace Barry, Leslie Hindman, Arnie Duncan, North Community Bank, Edgewater Chamber of Commerce, Edgewater Community Council, Griffin Theatre Company, Edgewater Historical Society, Rogers Park Montessori School, Uptown Lions Club, Southeast Asia Center, Dominick’s Foods, Malibu East Condo Association, EPIC Community Group, East Lake View Chamber of Commerce, First Commercial Bank and for other prominent figures, corporations and organizations.
Steven is also an in-demand corporate and event pianist (solo and with his trio) and has worked with some of Chicago's and Los Angeles' top Event Planners at events for top corporations including McDonalds, Boeing, Kraft Foods, Marshall Fields, Macys, American Girl, Chase Bank, Bridgeview Bank,WEG Corporation, Chicago Investment Corporation and more at venues including McCormick Place, Navy Pier, Millennium Park, United Center, at most of the top downtown and Michigan Avenue 5 star hotels, Women's Athletic Club, Cliff Dwellers Club, Union League Club and more.
Steven has also performed with some of Chicago's and the nation's well known jazz pianists and musicians, including Willie Pickens, Bobby Watson, Bobby Shew, Dennis Mackrel, John Fedchock, John Clatyon, Manny Lopez, Patrick Smith, Dee Alexander, Mark Colby, Dave Hoffman, Bob Winter, Steve Hashimoto, Erwin Helfer, Ari Brown, Ken Chaney, Yoko Noge, Sami Scot, Michael Ross, William Sims, Diane Ellis, Jimmy Ellis, Tony Smith, Ben Willis, Marlene Rosenberg, and others.
Steven is also an accomplished accompanist for vocalists and instrumentalists. He has been hired by different elementary and high schools to accompany their solo instrumentalists and vocal groups at Chicago All-City and Regional Illinois All-State competitions, The North Shore Festival and other events. He has accompanied well known jazz vocalist Dee Alexander. He has performed in cabaret shows including accompanying Wayne Messmer (announcer, stadium voice, and singer of the National Anthem for the Chicago Cubs and Chicago Blackhawks) during a special show at the Skokie Theater, where Steven accompanied Wayne and numerous other singers on 21 different broadway show tunes. Steven's trio was also a featured in the show. Steven has performed with and accompanied Miss Illinois 2014, Marisa Buchheit, who is a professional opera singer and vocalist. Steven has also accompanied the operatic trio 'The 3 Soprano's." Steven has even sang acapella in a holiday performance with two well known Chicago singers at the Peninsula Hotel's Lobby Restaurant and Asian Grill.
For the past 14 years, since the age of twelve, Steven has volunteered each year playing the piano on Thanksgiving day at Truman College where over 1,000 needy residents of Uptown are served a free Thanksgiving dinner. Since the age of ten, he has also been entertaining at nursing homes and senior centers around the Chicagoland and recently around the Los Angeles area too.
At seventeen years of age, he was featured on ABC -WLS, Channel 7 Television News in Chicago, during Harry Porterfield’s "Someone You Should Know" news segment. He has been featured in articles in the Lerner Newspapers and the Northwestern University Press.
In December 2012, Steven received his baccalaureate degree in Music Education from the School of Music at Western Illinois University (WIU) , with academic honors, graduating Summa Cum Laude and as the Honor's Graduate from the School of Fine Arts and Communications (four years prior, Steven was also accepted into the music programs at seven other universities including the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the Berklee College of Music before choosing WIU).
Steven is a graduate of Chicago’s Public School’s Selective Enrollment High School, Northside College Prep High School in Chicago (during which time it was the highest rated school for academics in Illinois). Before that he attended 7th and 8th grade and graduated from the Pre-International Baccalaureate program at Lincoln Elementary Public School and attended kindergarten through 6th grade and graduated from the Selective Enrollment Classical Public School program at Decatur Elementary Public School.
Steven has been studying piano formally since the age of four. For fourteen years, starting at age four, until he headed off to college, he studied with Julie Lovison, Director of the Lake Shore Music Studio in Chicago. He has been a student of the well known saxophonist, pianist and educator, Diane Ellis and has taken master piano classes at Columbia College with Peter Saxe. He has also studied with renowned jazz pianist Ken Chaney and Steve Million. At Western Illinois University, Steven studied both jazz and classical piano with Dr. Michael Stryker (jazz) and Dr. Tammie Walker (classical) and voice with Professor Kitty Karn. Steven is current a voice student of one of Los Angles' top vocal coaches and producers, Brad Chapman.
Steven is the recipient of the Western Illinois Universities’ School of Music 2008-09 Ann Collins Jazz Piano Scholarship. He was also awarded a four year WIU School of Music Talent Grant and was also the recipient of a four year WIU Trustee Scholarship (covering 4 years of tuition and room and board) based on his academic and community service achievements. He was also enrolled in the Western Illinois University "Honors College Program."
Steven was the recipient of the prestigious Jazz Institute of Chicago’s 2007-08 Wang Mentorship Award and Scholarship for outstanding musicianship as a young jazz artist. He won Great America's Park Outstanding Accompanist Award. Steven has also won music awards from the Union League of Chicago, University of Illinois in Champaign/Urbana, Chicago Public Schools and the Illinois PTA Organization.
During his four years on campus at college, Steven was a member of Western Illinois Universities’ top jazz performance groups, as the pianist with the W.I.U. Jazz Studio Orchestra (JSO) and Combo One.
Steven is a former member of the Western Illinois University Leathernecks Marching Band (playing tenor saxophone), the Jazz Institute of Chicago’s Jazz Links Band, the Chicago Public School’s All-City High School Jazz Band, the Northside College Prep High School Jazz Band (playing baritone saxophone, along with piano), the Northside College Prep High School Choir (singing and as an accompanist on the piano), the Merit School of Music’s Concert Jazz Band, the Chicago Public School’s All-City Elementary School Jazz Band, the Chicago Public School’s All-City Elementary Concert Band (as a percussionist), the Chicago Children's Choir-Rogers Park Group and the Duke Ellington Children’s Jazz Band.
In Macomb, where he attended Western Illinois University, he co-founded and performed locally with his rock-pop group "Marcos and the Mack Daddys." In 2012 the group was renamed "Stoplight Jones." His rock-pop band has played at Chicago area venues including Reggies Rock Club, Double Door, Tonic Room and elsewhere. Steven was the co-founder, keyboardist, and vocalist in the group. The group disbanded in 2013.
Steven is also a singer-songwriter. To date, Steven has composed over 0ne hundred rock, pop and jazz songs and instrumentals. He performs and sings these when appropriate during solo piano gigs, gigs with his trio, and with rock bands and with his own band "Skatterplot."
His most recent CD of solo piano playing "Traditional Christmas Songs, All Jazzed Up" was recorded at age twenty.
In 2012 he produced and recorded his first studio produced CD of original pop-rock songs and instrumentals "Digital Woman" under his band name 'moniker' of 'Skatterplot.' It can be purchased on iTunes, CDBaby, Amazon and other online sites or directly from Steven. Go to www.Skatterplot.com to hear Steven's original music.
Steven is also an accomplished accompanist in the jazz, classical and cabaret genres. His repertoire includes all genres of music. He plays multiple instruments, arranges, and composes music. He is a go-to, in-demand accompanist for top Chicago and Los Angeles vocalist and musicians. He is 'quick study' sight reader.
Besides piano, Steven also plays guitar, bass clarinet, clarinet, baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone, and percussions. Steven also plays a little of most other woodwinds, brass, and string instruments that he learned as part of his course studies as a Music Education Major at WIU.
Steven is also a die-hard (and frustrated) loyal Cubs fan. He enjoys bowling, baseball, tennis, biking, ping pong, Scrabble, Banana Grams, SimCity, Monopoly, and loves traveling and hanging out with his 97 year old grandfather.
Steven services clients in Los Angeles, Chicago and nationwide.
Steven has been performing professionally in his hometown of Chicago and around the country since he was ten years old.
Steven currently resides in Los Angeles and performs and provides his piano and music services to clients in both Los Angles and back in his hometown of Chicago and around the nation.
(note that in his bio you'll see mainly references to Chicago, as he relocated to Los Angeles just three years ago)
Steven had his debut performance at CARNEGIE HALL in New York City at the age of twenty !!
On Sunday, May 30, 2010, Steven played the piano in a concert at Carnegie Hall in the Stern Auditorium/Ronald Perelman Stage in New York City. CLICK HERE to read more about Steven's Debut at Carnegie Hall.
For seven years, starting at just the age of twelve, Steven performed twice a month at the popular Leona’s Restaurant on Sheridan Road in Rogers Park in Chicago. He also played for a number of years at Ethiopian Diamond Restaurant in Edgewater in Chicago. He has performed on stage at Chicago’s Symphony Center a half a dozen times. He has played at the Jazz Showcase during the annual CAMTA Jazz Festival ten times. He has also performed on the Pritzker Stage at Millennium Park, the Green Mill Jazz Club, the United Center, Navy Pier, Joe’s BeBop Café, Hot House, Chicago Cultural Center (Preston Bradley Hall & Randolph Street Cafe), various Border’s Books stores, Marshall Fields, Walnut Room, SPACE in Evanston, and numerous other top Chicago area music venues.
In Los Angeles Steven has played at venues including the Westin LAX, Disneyland, Luminarias, Crystal Cathedral, Gibson Guitar Showroom, The University Club in Pasadena, Temenos 34, MCAU, 626 Night Market in Arcadia and in Orange County, Push Play Music Festival, Back Bay Bristo-Newport Dunes Resort in New Port Beach, The Towers at Laguna Woods and more and at private exclusive high end events (both large and intimate) for some of Hollywood's top stars and industry trendsetters.
Steven has performed at many area festivals, including the Annual Chicago Jazz Festival in Grant Park, Lincoln Park Festival, Park West Antique Fair, Lake View East Art Festival, Rogers Park Studio Walk and Street Fair, Antiques Chicago Exposition, Made in Chicago-Home Cooked Jazz Festival, Edgewater Alley Jazz Fest, Harry Osterman's 48th Ward Senior Fair (4 times), the Edgewater Arts Festival (4 times) and the Wilmette Festival.
Steven has performed across the nation. Along with the aforementioned performance at Carnegie Hall in New York City, he has played in Las Vegas at the Liberace Museum, in California at Disneyland’s Main Street Café, at the TAXI A&R Music Business Convention in Los Angeles, the Rincon Center in San Francisco, the Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone National Park, the Deadwood Saloon and Theater in Deadwood South Dakota, the Al Sears Jazz Festival in Macomb, Illinois (for 4 consecutive years), Shiloh's Restaurant in Macomb, Illinois monthly for two years while attending college, the Towers of Laguna Woods in California, an international talent show at the University of Georgia in Athens Georgia, and as a winner of the National History Day Contest, representing the State of Illinois, performing at the national competition at the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland.
In 2014 Steven was invited to be an 'Artist in Residence' at Lyon College in Batesville Arkansas to conduct a Master Class in Jazz Improvisation Techniques and to perform a solo jazz piano concert for the College and community (you can see the whole concert on Steven's Youtube Channel... www.YouTube.com/user/MusicBySteven/videos ).
In the Edgewater-Uptown Community of Chicago, Steven has performed at Reza’s Restaurant, Ethiopian Diamond Restaurant, The Little Mexican Café, Calo’s, Broadway Cellars, Charlie’s Ale House, Speakeasy, Pressure Cafe, Edgewater Historical Museum, Hull House, Griffin Theatre, Broadway Armory, Pressure Café, Lickity Split, Peppitones, Edgewater Saddle and Cycle Club, Loyola University, Edgewater Farmers Market, The Breakers of Edgewater and other venues.
He has entertained at various fund raisers and events for Mayor Richard Daley, Maggie Daley, Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, Indiana Governor Pence, Illinois State Senator Heather Steans, Illinois State Representative and now Chicago 48th Ward Alderman Harry Osterman, Chicago Alderman Mary Ann Smith, Carol Ronan, Jack Markowski, Janet Murphy, Peter Fassasis, Grace Barry, Leslie Hindman, Arnie Duncan, North Community Bank, Edgewater Chamber of Commerce, Edgewater Community Council, Griffin Theatre Company, Edgewater Historical Society, Rogers Park Montessori School, Uptown Lions Club, Southeast Asia Center, Dominick’s Foods, Malibu East Condo Association, EPIC Community Group, East Lake View Chamber of Commerce, First Commercial Bank and for other prominent figures, corporations and organizations.
Steven is also an in-demand corporate and event pianist (solo and with his trio) and has worked with some of Chicago's and Los Angeles' top Event Planners at events for top corporations including McDonalds, Boeing, Kraft Foods, Marshall Fields, Macys, American Girl, Chase Bank, Bridgeview Bank,WEG Corporation, Chicago Investment Corporation and more at venues including McCormick Place, Navy Pier, Millennium Park, United Center, at most of the top downtown and Michigan Avenue 5 star hotels, Women's Athletic Club, Cliff Dwellers Club, Union League Club and more.
Steven has also performed with some of Chicago's and the nation's well known jazz pianists and musicians, including Willie Pickens, Bobby Watson, Bobby Shew, Dennis Mackrel, John Fedchock, John Clatyon, Manny Lopez, Patrick Smith, Dee Alexander, Mark Colby, Dave Hoffman, Bob Winter, Steve Hashimoto, Erwin Helfer, Ari Brown, Ken Chaney, Yoko Noge, Sami Scot, Michael Ross, William Sims, Diane Ellis, Jimmy Ellis, Tony Smith, Ben Willis, Marlene Rosenberg, and others.
Steven is also an accomplished accompanist for vocalists and instrumentalists. He has been hired by different elementary and high schools to accompany their solo instrumentalists and vocal groups at Chicago All-City and Regional Illinois All-State competitions, The North Shore Festival and other events. He has accompanied well known jazz vocalist Dee Alexander. He has performed in cabaret shows including accompanying Wayne Messmer (announcer, stadium voice, and singer of the National Anthem for the Chicago Cubs and Chicago Blackhawks) during a special show at the Skokie Theater, where Steven accompanied Wayne and numerous other singers on 21 different broadway show tunes. Steven's trio was also a featured in the show. Steven has performed with and accompanied Miss Illinois 2014, Marisa Buchheit, who is a professional opera singer and vocalist. Steven has also accompanied the operatic trio 'The 3 Soprano's." Steven has even sang acapella in a holiday performance with two well known Chicago singers at the Peninsula Hotel's Lobby Restaurant and Asian Grill.
For the past 14 years, since the age of twelve, Steven has volunteered each year playing the piano on Thanksgiving day at Truman College where over 1,000 needy residents of Uptown are served a free Thanksgiving dinner. Since the age of ten, he has also been entertaining at nursing homes and senior centers around the Chicagoland and recently around the Los Angeles area too.
At seventeen years of age, he was featured on ABC -WLS, Channel 7 Television News in Chicago, during Harry Porterfield’s "Someone You Should Know" news segment. He has been featured in articles in the Lerner Newspapers and the Northwestern University Press.
In December 2012, Steven received his baccalaureate degree in Music Education from the School of Music at Western Illinois University (WIU) , with academic honors, graduating Summa Cum Laude and as the Honor's Graduate from the School of Fine Arts and Communications (four years prior, Steven was also accepted into the music programs at seven other universities including the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the Berklee College of Music before choosing WIU).
Steven is a graduate of Chicago’s Public School’s Selective Enrollment High School, Northside College Prep High School in Chicago (during which time it was the highest rated school for academics in Illinois). Before that he attended 7th and 8th grade and graduated from the Pre-International Baccalaureate program at Lincoln Elementary Public School and attended kindergarten through 6th grade and graduated from the Selective Enrollment Classical Public School program at Decatur Elementary Public School.
Steven has been studying piano formally since the age of four. For fourteen years, starting at age four, until he headed off to college, he studied with Julie Lovison, Director of the Lake Shore Music Studio in Chicago. He has been a student of the well known saxophonist, pianist and educator, Diane Ellis and has taken master piano classes at Columbia College with Peter Saxe. He has also studied with renowned jazz pianist Ken Chaney and Steve Million. At Western Illinois University, Steven studied both jazz and classical piano with Dr. Michael Stryker (jazz) and Dr. Tammie Walker (classical) and voice with Professor Kitty Karn. Steven is current a voice student of one of Los Angles' top vocal coaches and producers, Brad Chapman.
Steven is the recipient of the Western Illinois Universities’ School of Music 2008-09 Ann Collins Jazz Piano Scholarship. He was also awarded a four year WIU School of Music Talent Grant and was also the recipient of a four year WIU Trustee Scholarship (covering 4 years of tuition and room and board) based on his academic and community service achievements. He was also enrolled in the Western Illinois University "Honors College Program."
Steven was the recipient of the prestigious Jazz Institute of Chicago’s 2007-08 Wang Mentorship Award and Scholarship for outstanding musicianship as a young jazz artist. He won Great America's Park Outstanding Accompanist Award. Steven has also won music awards from the Union League of Chicago, University of Illinois in Champaign/Urbana, Chicago Public Schools and the Illinois PTA Organization.
During his four years on campus at college, Steven was a member of Western Illinois Universities’ top jazz performance groups, as the pianist with the W.I.U. Jazz Studio Orchestra (JSO) and Combo One.
Steven is a former member of the Western Illinois University Leathernecks Marching Band (playing tenor saxophone), the Jazz Institute of Chicago’s Jazz Links Band, the Chicago Public School’s All-City High School Jazz Band, the Northside College Prep High School Jazz Band (playing baritone saxophone, along with piano), the Northside College Prep High School Choir (singing and as an accompanist on the piano), the Merit School of Music’s Concert Jazz Band, the Chicago Public School’s All-City Elementary School Jazz Band, the Chicago Public School’s All-City Elementary Concert Band (as a percussionist), the Chicago Children's Choir-Rogers Park Group and the Duke Ellington Children’s Jazz Band.
In Macomb, where he attended Western Illinois University, he co-founded and performed locally with his rock-pop group "Marcos and the Mack Daddys." In 2012 the group was renamed "Stoplight Jones." His rock-pop band has played at Chicago area venues including Reggies Rock Club, Double Door, Tonic Room and elsewhere. Steven was the co-founder, keyboardist, and vocalist in the group. The group disbanded in 2013.
Steven is also a singer-songwriter. To date, Steven has composed over 0ne hundred rock, pop and jazz songs and instrumentals. He performs and sings these when appropriate during solo piano gigs, gigs with his trio, and with rock bands and with his own band "Skatterplot."
His most recent CD of solo piano playing "Traditional Christmas Songs, All Jazzed Up" was recorded at age twenty.
In 2012 he produced and recorded his first studio produced CD of original pop-rock songs and instrumentals "Digital Woman" under his band name 'moniker' of 'Skatterplot.' It can be purchased on iTunes, CDBaby, Amazon and other online sites or directly from Steven. Go to www.Skatterplot.com to hear Steven's original music.
Steven is also an accomplished accompanist in the jazz, classical and cabaret genres. His repertoire includes all genres of music. He plays multiple instruments, arranges, and composes music. He is a go-to, in-demand accompanist for top Chicago and Los Angeles vocalist and musicians. He is 'quick study' sight reader.
Besides piano, Steven also plays guitar, bass clarinet, clarinet, baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone, and percussions. Steven also plays a little of most other woodwinds, brass, and string instruments that he learned as part of his course studies as a Music Education Major at WIU.
Steven is also a die-hard (and frustrated) loyal Cubs fan. He enjoys bowling, baseball, tennis, biking, ping pong, Scrabble, Banana Grams, SimCity, Monopoly, and loves traveling and hanging out with his 97 year old grandfather.
Steven services clients in Los Angeles, Chicago and nationwide.
Click Here for Booking and Contact Information
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