Jason DeCristofaro is a Percussionist/Vibraphonist/Composer/Educator based out of Asheville, NC. Jason received his Bachelors in Music Performance from Brevard College in 2010, graduating Summa cum Laude with Honors, and he is finishing his Masters in Music Performance at University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston, Salem, NC (expected date of completion of May 2012). He is currently an Adjunct Professor of Music at Brevard College, as well as the Percussion Instructor and Percussion Ensemble Director at Brevard High School and Brevard Middle School.
The winner and recipient of the PAS/Yamaha Terry Gibbs Scholarship, an international competition for jazz vibraphonists, Jason has performed as a jazz artist at several festivals and venues throughout the Southeastern United States. He frequently performs with such notable artists as Michael Jefry Stevens (Steinway artist and Jazz pianist/composer), Joe Lulloff (internationally renowned saxophonist and Yamaha artist), and Bill Berg (studio drummer for Bob Dylan). Jason’s jazz compositions have been played on 105.9 the Mountain in Asheville, NC and he has been interviewed by Upstate SC Magazine, Rapid River Magazine, and Blue Ridge Now for his work as a jazz vibraphone artist.
As a classical percussionist, Jason performs frequently throughout the region with the Brevard Philharmonic, Hendersonville Symphony Orchestra, Carolina Concert Choir, and Hendersonville Chorale. As a vibraphone, marimba, and percussion soloist, Jason has performed everything from Bach transcriptions to contemporary works in venues in Western North Carolina and Upstate SC ranging from concert halls and churches to night clubs and educational concerts. He hosts and co-coordinates the Asheville Composers Concerts, an annual concert series featuring classical composers based in Asheville and Western North Carolina. Also active as a classical composer, Jason writes chamber works for percussion and other instruments and vocalists. He is a published composer with C. Alan Publications (Greensboro, NC), and annually he premieres one or more of his original chamber works with a chamber ensemble.