Meet Nate, STRYKE's Front Ensemble Arranger

Meet Nathan Skinner, he was STRYKE's center marimba in 2012 and has been teaching and co-arranging for STRYKE since 2013. This season, Nate will be the Front Ensemble Arranger and Programing Associate.

Jazz Vibist, Nathan Skinner fell in love with jazz when he first heard Miles Davis play "So What" from the seminal album, "Kind of Blue" and when he heard Lionel Hampton play "Take the 'A' Train" he decided that the vibraphone was the perfect instrument for him. His major influences are Milt Jackson, Gary Burton, John Coltrane, Dexter Gordon and Charlie Parker. He is currently a member of the Stephen Scott Quartet. He has performed with the Florida Wind Symphony and the Carolina Crown Drum and Bugle Corps (2009). He has won the Savarick Music Competition and is the 2010 Amelia Island Jazz Festival and Jazz Arts Music Society of Palm Beach Scholarship winner. He has performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival, Amelia Island jazz festival, and New Orleans Jazz Festival, and toured through the country.

Nathan regularly performs in Palm Beach, Miami Beach and throughout the South Florida area. He has also performed in concert with Dena DeRose, John Colianni, Marian Petrescu, Matt Wilson, Marty Morell, Jeff Rupert, Shelly Berg, Ken Peplowski, Karrin Allyson and Chuck Bergeron. Has  also recorded on the Grammy nominated album, "With Love". In addition, he graduated from the University of Miami with a bachelor's in Studio Jazz Performance, and studied with Martin Bejerano, Shelly Berg, the legendary Gary Burton, and Terence Blanchard.

Nate is currently the Front Ensemble Arranger for Park Vista HS, and Music Writer/Show Designer for Seminole Ridge HS in West Palm Beach, FL.

Meet Nate at the STRYKE16 Audition/Clinic on September 27th.