Kristofer Hill

Kristofer Thomas Hill (born in Summit, New Jersey on October 13, 1979) is an American Musician, Composer, Singer-Songwriter, Guitarist, Philosopher, Pianist, and multi Percussionist.

Raised in Maplewood, New Jersey, Kristofer began singing & piano lessons at the age of four, and was always surrounded by music and the arts. His parents love for theater, museums, history, and music, exposed him to all the culture and art that only NYC can provide. After a bad experience with a piano teacher and tired of the educative conventions of music and pedagogy, interests strayed from the piano. Other instruments followed such as the clarinet, bassoon, bass, and drums, and at the age of thirteen the guitar. Consumed with the instrument considerable hours a day were spent practicing and playing. His childhood abilities as a multi-instrumentalist would later help him to develop and define his skills as both a composer, performer and an educator.Inspired by a diverse range of music from Mozart to Hendrix. Kristofer began his quest for creating and performing all styles of music from flamenco, to Hip Hop, to jazz, to classical. Performing at Woodstock, on Max Yasgurs farm in 1997 with the Buddy Miles band, in the fabled barn that such greats as The Who and Jimi Hendrix played in, was the turning point in his life as a musician. Graduating from Columbia High School, at age seventeen, his fortunes led him to Arizona State University where he truly began to develop his abilities as a composer, guitarist, percussionist, pianist, and as a dance accompanist for modern dance and ballet. Discovering that the southwest had a strong and vibrant arts scene performing and collaborating with jazz combos, rock bands, hip-hop groups, flamenco ensembles, performance artists, choreographers, visual artists, and educators helped to mould Kristofer's philosophical approach to sound, performance, and music education.

Doors opened when he found out about ASU West's Interdisciplinary arts and multimedia program. Studying orchestration and analog & digital recording concepts with Richard Lehrman and Daniel Lentz was a lesson in unconventional techniques and approach to composition and performance. Studying with Arthur Sabatini opened his eyes to the history of film, modernism, Joseph Campbell, futurism,bahaus, dada and post-modernism. Workshops and classes with Dr. R. Murray Schaeffer, Chuck Maronic, David Friesen, Tony Malaby, Rob Kaplan & Mark Chisolm only added to his awareness of modern performance concepts and practice.

As a dance accompanist he has worked with and accompanied such artists as Pina Bausch, Sean Curran, Ib Andersen, David Dorfman, Robert Moses, Ronald K. Brown, Evidence, Delphos Dance, Twyla Tharp, and Jennifer Tsukyama.

Over thirty of his compositions for modern dance performance have been performed all over the US in such venues as the Joyce Theater, Soho, Gammage Auditorium, NYU, Arizona Museum for Youth, Scottsdale Center for the Arts, and Phoenix Symphony Hall.His scores can be heard with The Paper Project, Scorpius Dance Theater's: FANTASY, Keith Johnson, Conder Dance, Movement Source Dance Company, Kim Karpanti, Pippa Frame, and in the film "Saints no Angels".

He is a guest artist with Free Arts of AZ, a non-profit organization who's mission is to help educate and heal troubled and at risk youth in AZ through the arts, music, theater, and dance. Kris teaches guitar and drum/body percussion workshops at schools and group homes all over AZ.

Currently adjunct faculty at ASU as a Dance Accompanist senior and Scottsdale Community College where he practices ballet and teaches rhythmic theory for dancers
Guitar instructor and director of a 30 piece guitorchestra at Notre Dame Preparatory High School in Scottsdale, AZ.

Ballet Accompanist at Ballet AZ and Ballet Etudes.

His desire for performance is also demonstrated by his involvement and membership of some of the United States finest ensembles as a percussionist, guitarist, and keyboardist.

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Calo Flamenco: Ballet de Martin Gaxiola - One of the US's largest flamenco reparatory ensembles. Replete with nine dancers, and eight musicians and singers under the musical direction of guitarist/composer Chris Burton Jacome, Calo's Broadway ready show is bringing flamenco to large audiences across the US and abroad.

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Drunken Immortals - An 8 piece live hip-hop band who tours and performs internationally, has performed with such heavy weights as KRS1, Public Enemy, Living Legends, Black Sheep, and DJ ZTrip to name a few. Members include BradB, Mike Cause, DJ Pickster, Dumper Foo, Jeremy Dana, and Foundation.

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Jody Marie Gnant and BoGeSO - the band who was part of Kyle MacDonald's one red paper clip story. Performed in Canada at Kyle's house warming party and jammed out with Corbin Bernsen. The trade resulted in studio time at Metalworks Studios.

Discography

*Drunken Immortals "Live" - 2001
*Blow Up Co-op - 2002 - Collective works from AZ Hip-Hop musicians and MC's
*Collective Memory - 2002 - Farbeon
*Soul Revolution - 2003 - Drunken Immortals
*Foundation - 2003 - Produced by foundation
*Brad B.: Drifter - 2005 - Produced by foundation
*Hot Concrete - 2006 - Drunken Immortals feat. Abstract Rude and Dres
*Ganesha:Music for Modern - 2006 - Kristofer T. Hill
*Flamenco - 2006 - Chris Burton Jacome ensemble
*Fantasy - 2007 - Sound track for Scorpius Dance Theater Production inspired by Michael Parks paintings
*Pivot - 2007 - Jody Gnant and BoGeSo

External links

* [http://www.freeartsaz.org/documents/34459FAW-gig0905F-web_003.pdf] Free Arts of AZ article
* [http://caloflamenco.com] Calo Flamenco.com
* [http://drunkenimmortals.com] Drunken Immortals
* [http://jodygnant.com] Jody Gnant
* [http://oneredpaperclip.com] One Red Paperclip
* [http://lifesciences.asu.edu/paperproject/exhibits/piamfy/opening.html] The Paper Project
* [http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/musicshowcase/2004/talent.html] Phoenix Newtimes
* [http://chrisburtonjacome.com] Chris Burton Jacome
* [http://scorpiusedancetheater.com] Scorpius