BIOGRAPHY

Long regarded as one of Australia’s finest jazz pianists and accompanists and a highly accomplished composer and arranger, Steve Russell has appeared with a huge array of national and international jazz, blues, pop and cabaret artists in an eclectic career spanning forty years. His performance credits include Dan Sultan, Wendy Matthews, William Barton, Katie Noonan, James Morrison, Deborah Cheetham, Rodriguez, Stephen Magnusson, Chrissy Amphlett, Troy Cassar-Daley, Kanen Breen, Crossfire, Hamish Stuart, Deborah Conway, Silvia Colloca, Dale Barlow, James Sherlock, Kate Miller-Heidke, Chuck Findley, Grace Knight, Shellie Morris and Carita Farrer-Spencer.

 

Steve’s two award winning CD releases, When The Light Comes and Dark Matters, are comprised mainly of original compositions described by Australian jazz doyen Tony Gould as innovative and “state of the art”.  Steve is also a passionate educator, currently teaching piano, improvisation and music technology at JMI (Jazz Music Institute), and piano, keyboards and ensemble studies in the Music Program at Southern Cross University.

Recent musical directorships include the Queensland Performing Arts Centre's Songs of Justice, the Queensland Music Festival events, the Mount Isa Blast, the Yarrabah Band Festival and The Isaac Project, the Opera Queensland and La Boîte Theatre collaboration, Snow White, and five seasons of the iconic Women in Voice.