Billy Childs

With a body of award-winning music that forges powerful syntheses of Jazz, Chamber, Choral and Orchestral music, multi-Grammy winner Billy Childs is perhaps one of the most distinct American voices since Aaron Copland. A native of Los Angeles, Childs grew up immersed in jazz, classical, and popular music influences. By the time of his graduation from USC, he was already an in-demand jazz composer and performer, and was discovered by legends J.J. Johnson and Freddie Hubbard, with whom he embarked upon an historic performing and recording tour. Childs has simultaneously commanded classical concert halls around the world, with commissions from Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Master Chorale, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, The Kronos Quartet, The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, The American Brass Quintet, The Ying Quartet, The Dorian Wind Quintet, and violin luminary Rachel Barton Pine. Childs' electrifying "The Voices of Angels," an epic Holocaust-themed cantata that sets the writings of children from the Terezin concentration camp to breathtaking effect for orchestra, choir and soloists, was premiered by The Los Angeles Master Chorale. A myriad of critically acclaimed albums has yielded sixteen Grammy nominations and five wins. Further awards and honors include a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, The American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Music, and the Thornton School of Music Outstanding Alumnus Award. Childs has performed with Sting, Yo-Yo Ma, Alison Krause, Renee Fleming, Chick Corea, Wynton Marsalis, Jack DeJohnette, Dave Holland, Ron Carter, J.J. Johnson, Joe Henderson, and Wayne Shorter.