Intensities in Ten Cities (Alan Baylock) Messiah University JazzONE 5.3.24

Guest Artist, Isaac Hillard, performs with Messiah University JazzONE.

program notes:

Guest artist, Isaac Hillard, 15, is a freshman at Altoona Area High School in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Isaac has been drumming along to music from a very young age with just about anything he could get his hands on. From toys, pencils, pens, sticks, to hotdogs, nothing seemed to be off limits. Isaac even found straws to use during an AAHS halftime show, playing in the stands along with the marching band - he was not quite three years old. Isaac’s family loves to fill most moments in life with music and with this, his passion continues to grow along with a desire to make music his livelihood. Isaac seeks to perform in every ensemble his public school offers. A pianist in the pit orchestra for musicals, a choir accompanist piano and percussion, pianist/percussionist in orchestra, percussionist in band and wind ensemble. Isaac also plays quads in marching band and enjoys drum set/vibraphone in jazz settings. Issac studies private piano with his grandmother and participates in recital performances. He is the newest and youngest member of Jazz in Your Face Big Band and the spinoff Dixieland band based in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. On Sundays Isaac is the house drummer for praise and worship at Hillside Community Church in Bellwood, Pennsylvania.

Isaac also performs as a community volunteer each semester with the PSU Altoona University Jazz Band. Isaac spends his summers attending jazz camps in Pennsylvania (Central PA Friends of Jazz) and New York City (Manhattan School of Music Summer Jazz). He has received influence from Joe Saylor, Justin Faulkner, Stefon Harris, Norman Edwards Jr., and John Riley. Isaac currently is a student of Dr. David Glover (Slippery Rock University).