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This project was made possible by funding through the Canadian Culture Online Strategy and the Heritage Policy Branch of the Department of Canadian Heritage.

Canadian Heritage

Steve Holt

Biography

STEVE HOLT (pianist) was born April 9, 1954 in Montreal, Quebec. Starting piano at the age of four, he was performing professionally at the age of eighteen. Soon after, he began studying jazz piano at McGill University, where he would become the school’s first-ever graduate to obtain a Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Performance. During this time, he also studied privately with renowned pianist Kenny Barron in New York. IN 1981, Steve was appointed to McGill's Faculty of Music as instructor of Jazz improvisation.

His debut album, The Lion’s Eyes, was released in 1983 and received a JUNO nomination.

In October 1987, Steve moved to Toronto, where he recorded two albums for the Sackville label, Just Duet (1992) and Catwalk (1993). In recent years, he has recorded a number of albums and was an Honorable Mention Winner in the USA Songwriting Competition in 2003.

Holt has worked with some of the major jazz figures of the day – James Moody, Eddie ‘Cleanhead’ Vinson, Larry Coryell, Archie Shepp, and Michael Urbaniak – while pursuing a successful parallel career as an equity analyst.

He led the Steve Holt Trio in concert at the Ontario Science Centre during the Sound of Jazz series on March 6, 1989.

Awards:
1983 – JUNO Nomination for ‘Best Jazz Album’ - The Lion’s Eyes

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