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Aaron Blumenfeld is a composer, author, teacher and concert pianist who has worked intensively in three widely disparate fields of music: classical, jazz and Jewish music. He received his M.A. in music composition from Rutgers University, New Brunswick for his research into early jazz piano music, which eventually resulted in two published books on the art of blues and barrelhouse piano improvisation. He received a grant from the New Jersey Council on the Arts to compose his BARRELHOUSE PIANO CONCERTO, which was performed in the S.F. Bay Area in 1980.  Many of his extensive list of compositions include movements of jazz music.He has been a frequent recipient of ASCAPLUS ( ASCAP) AWARDS.
 
He taught a popular course, FREE IMPROVISATION AT THE PIANO at the University of California, Berkeley Extension School for twenty years and at the Berkeley Jazz School for five years.
 
Prior to his work in the field of Jazz, Mr. Blumenfeld worked extensively in the field of Jewish music as a composer, teacher, cantor and conductor of synagogue choirs. He has composed several large symphonic works on Jewish themes.
 
Mr. Blumenfeld is primarily a classical composer. He has composed eleven piano concertos (three have been performed,) many works for various chamber ensembles, much music for solo piano and many art songs. Ten songs from his two operas were recently performed in Berkeley as part of the (Berkeley, CA) Trinity Chamber Concerts series, a venue which has presented much of his chamber music for several years.
 
All of Mr. Blumenfeld’s original manuscripts are in the music archives of the University of California, Berkeley.
 

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