Weldon Hill’s RVA JAZZ COLLECTIVE ft: James “Saxsmo” Gates at The Tin Pan

WELDON HILL and his RVA JAZZ COLLECTIVE ft: James “Saxsmo” Gates, Michael Hawkins, Carl Lester-El, Kofi Shepsu, and special guest Rudy Faulkner

Partial Proceeds to Benefit the Richmond Jazz Society

A native of Richmond, Virginia, W. Weldon Hill holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in music education from Virginia Union University (Richmond) and Master of Music (composition) and Doctor of Philosophy (musicology) degrees from the Catholic University of America. He also completed post-graduate work in jazz studies at Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond). He won highly coveted fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Plan for Social Excellence and earned post-doctoral certifications in higher-education leadership at Harvard University (Management Development Program) the American Council on Education.

A stalwart practitioner in higher-education administration Dr. Hill’s career in higher education spans three universities as a faculty member, Dean, and Provost over his 40-year career. Active in the Richmond Community, he currently serves on the CultureWorks® Board of Directors (Richmond, Virginia).

Now retired from higher education, Dr. Hill devotes his attention to music of multiple genres as composer, producer, performer, and musicologist. Many scholars consider his the definitive treatise on the Sacred Concerts of Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington. Perhaps most well known as a pianist, Dr. Hill primarily performs with his own ensembles. He has shared the stage with numerous nationally known artists including Joe Williams, Herb Jefferies, Panama Francis, Ethel Ennis, Peter Bernstein, Sarah Hanahan, Benny Carter, Milt Hinton, Billy Pierce, Steve Wilson, Carmen Bradford, Lori Williams and Byron Stripling. He has also toured and/or performed with the United States Air Force Rhythm and Blue Ensemble, the Glen Miller Orchestra, and the Virginia Symphony and Jazz Orchestra. His discography spans nearly 40 years, including his own recordings as well as those featuring Jon Faddis, Rene Marie, and Joe Kennedy, among others.