PROGRAM

CHRIS HECKMAN

Chris Heckman is a composer of music for film, television, video games, theatre, sacred music and concert music. A native of Pittsburgh, he grew up in a family of musicians and started playing piano and singing at the age of six. Apart from piano and voice, he also plays clarinet, saxophone, flute, guitar, bass guitar, organ and accordion. His credentials include the acclaimed video game “Red Dead Redemption,” and the award-winning short “The Perfect Gentleman”. Heckman assisted in arranging new orchestral suites from “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” for which he composed a new overture finale under the supervision of Danny Elfman.

Chris Heckman is a long time collaborator with Gary Taylor creating the original score for Gary Taylor’s “DRACULA”.

TRACY THORNTON

Tracy Thornton, Steel Pandemic Records founder and CEO and LoveCat Music recording artist, has been performing as a professional steelpannist since the mid-’90s. Thornton is also a full-time composer, arranger, producer, guest artist/clinician and performer — averaging more than 150 performances annually. And, as a popular national and international guest artist/clinician for many universities, colleges, public schools and community steel bands, Thornton brings with him his innovative and exciting steel pan style, his popular charts and wealth of knowledge as a musician, and his insights and experiences on the realities of the music industry.

ERIC SCHWARTZ

Based in Winston-Salem, NC, Eric Schwartz’s music has been performed at a variety of venues on five continents and recorded on nine albums on various labels, and is published by both Murphy Music Press and Lovebird Music. Schwartz has won awards and grants from ASCAP, The UNC Office of Learning Technology and Innovation, The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, The Society for New Music, Meet the Composer, The Puffin Foundation, The Cleveland Chamber Symphony and others. He is a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and The International Guild of Musicians in Dance (IGMB).

JOHN WILSON

John Wilson, drummer, has been exploring his love of music in bars, clubs, concert halls, dance studios and recording spaces for nearly twenty-five years. A graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts and the Manhattan School of Music, John has served as percussionist for a variety of organizations including cruise ships, the Glenn Miller Orchestra, and Music Carolina. In addition, he has taught at Davidson College, Pfeiffer University, Hartwick College Summer Music Festival, and the John Coltrane Jazz Workshop. John recently retired as an accompanist at the UNCSA Dance Department, where he was inspired for nearly twenty years on a daily basis through his work with students and faculty.

DIANA TUFFIN

Diana Tuffin is a jazz, gospel, blues, and voice-over artist residing in Winston Salem, NC. For six years, she has been the primary featured vocalist with The Camel City Jazz Orchestra. She is a regular guest vocalist at The Rhythm Lounge & Grill, the O’ Henry Hotel Jazz Series, and worship centers throughout North Carolina. She has also performed at the Annual John Coltrane Festival in High Point, NC. She has appeared in Dr. Chuck Davis African-American Dance Ensemble Production at the Turnage Theater. Diana’s other artistic endeavors include principal acting roles in “Stompin’ At The Savoy” and “Rejoice” performed at the University of North Carolina School of The Arts. Hailed as one of Winston Salem’s iconic jazz treasures, Diana Tuffin’s image has been immortalized in a public art installation in the city’s Benton Convention Center. She is known to say, “It’s All About The Music.”