Theo Hill is a pianist, keyboardist, composer and educator who has emerged as an ascendant voice and in-demand artist in the world of jazz. Hailed as “a vital young pianist at play in New York’s straight-ahead tradition,” (Giovanni Russonello, The New York Times) Hill is known for his originality, sensitivity and versatility in a multitude of musical styles and influences, and also as an innovator and collaborator with modernists on the vanguard of the jazz scene.   As a pianist steeped in the jazz tradition, Hill’s professional musical upbringing began in Harlem, New York City, where he performed, toured and apprenticed with jazz masters Frank Lacy, Bill Saxton, Curtis Lundy and Bobby Watson. Hill also gained invaluable experience serving as pianist for Victor Bailey, Chico Freeman, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Charles Tolliver, Wallace Roney, Robin Eubanks, T.S. Monk and Mingus Dynasty.   Hill has also performed with many big bands and large ensembles including the Grammy Award winning Mingus Big Band, Charles Tolliver Big Band, Captain Black Big Band, Josh Evans Big Band, Rutgers University JE1, The ISO Symphony Orchestra, SUNY Purchase Jazz Orchestra, and New York Youth Symphony’s Jazz Band Classic.   Hill has also served as accompanist for critically acclaimed vocalists including Grammy Award winner Gregory Porter, Grammy Award nominee Jazzmeia Horn, Carmen Lundy, Nnenna Freelon, Latin Grammy Award winner Linda Briceño, Buika, Charenee Wade and Benny Bennack.  Hill’s debut album Theo Hill Quartet: Live at Smalls (SmallsLive 2015) featured saxophonists Dayna Stephens and Myron Walden, bassist Joe Sanders and drummer Rodney Green. Jay Hunter in Nippertown noted Hill’s “sense of nuance,” and “the tremendous chemistry Hill shares with Sanders and Green throughout the date.” Nate Chinen in The New York Times described Hill as “a painterly young pianist with a chamber-like approach to composition, and a fine recent album on the SmallsLive label.”   Hill’s sophomore recording Promethean (Posi-Tone Records), released in 2017 featured bassist Yasushi Nakamura and Mark Whitfield Jr. on drums and received an Editors’ Choice review in Downbeat Magazine. Brian Zimmerman noted “Hill’s astounding range as a stylist” and “it’s Hill's formidable piano chops and probing arrangements that make this album such a winning statement.” Britt Robson in Jazztimes described Hill as “a dynamically percussive pianist,” and noted “the dominant motif of Promethean is that of a young pianist reveling in the imperial command of his instrument.” Hill’s his third recording Interstellar Adventures (Posi-Tone Records) received 4.5 stars from DownBeat Magazine and was listed as one of 2018’s Top Rated Albums. Herb Boyd wrote “several critics have cited pianist Theo Hill as a rising star…but “rising” needs to be updated nowadays, and even more so after this trio date with bassist Rashaan Carter and drummer Rudy Royston.” Boyd added “there currently is much talk about Afrofuturism, mostly generated by the box office smash Black Panther, and Hill’s cosmic flights might be the film’s musical counterpart,” and “it’s clear that the rising star has fully ascended.” The record also received a four-star review from Mike Jurkovic in All About Jazz who noted Hill's “steady, determined ascent into the contemporary ranks of vital and inspired jazz pianists.” Jeff Tamarkin in Jazztimes wrote “where the earlier outings, particularly Promethean, showed Hill to be an imaginative player with one eye focused keenly on tradition and the other eagerly searching beyond it, the new set finds Hill increasingly willing to burn bridges with his influences and carve out his own territory.” Reality Check (Posi-Tone Records 2020), Hill’s fourth album featuring Blue Note artist and vibraphonist Joel Ross, bassist Rashaan Carter, drummer Mark Whitfield Jr. has been received with critical acclaim. Nate Chinen for WBGO observed “pianist-composer Theo Hill continues an upward trajectory with Reality Check, his third album for Posi-Tone Records, and a persuasive snapshot of the current post-bop mainstream.” Phil Freeman in Stereogum noted that “the music, almost all of which Hill wrote, is expansive and thoughtful, combining forceful swing with complex, almost prog-rock rhythms at times.” And Matt Micucci in JAZZIZ remarked “Theo Hill has certainly emerged as one of the top young voices in jazz piano today.”   Hill has performed at over 200 New York jazz venues including Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Blue Note, Birdland, Carnegie Hall, Smalls, Mezzrow, 55 Bar, The Iridium, Jazz Standard, Zinc Bar, Lenox Lounge, Minton’s, Bills Place, Fat Cat, Smoke, St. Nick’s Pub, and Jazz Gallery. Hill has also toured extensively in the United States and internationally at major clubs, festivals and concert halls including the North Sea Jazz Festival, Vitoria-Gasteiz Jazz Festival, Umbria Jazz Festival, Detroit International Jazz Festival, the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, Rochester International Jazz Festival, the Red Sea Jazz Festival, and the Guimarães Jazz Festival.   The Theo Hill Trio was established in 2002 with past and current members that has included bassists Rashaan Carter, Joe Sanders, Yasushi Nakamura and Earl “Burniss” Travis and drummers Mark Whitfield Jr., Marcus Gilmore, Justin Brown, Rodney Green, E.J. Strickland and Obed Calvaire. Hill earned a Bachelors in Music degree at SUNY Purchase in 2004, and was the recipient of the Ralph Bunch Fellowship at Rutgers University Mason Gross School of the Arts from 2018-2020 and anticipates graduating with a Master’s in Music degree. Hill is also a proficient music educator and mentor who has been teaching privately and in higher education institutions for over 15 years. Hill has served as a private lesson instructor at the New School and at the Collective School of Music, and has taught master classes and lecture demonstrations in schools in the United States, Europe and Asia. Hill has mentored several students who are now top performers in the professional arena. With a professional career composing, performing and recording that has spanned over 2 decades, Theo Hill has positioned himself as one of the most in demand pianists on the New York City jazz scene.