SIDE ONE Jazz Programs
Lars Halle
Vice-President & Artistic Co-Director
Lars Halle was born in Trondheim, Norway, and spent his childhood in Sandviken,
Sweden, where he undertook his first music studies at the age of ten. He studied
drum set with Rolf Andersson and piano/arranging with renowned Swedish pianist
Gösta Rundquist. He moved to the United States in 1989 and subsequently
enrolled at the University of the Arts (Philadelphia) in 1992. At UArts, where
his teachers included Ralph Peterson Jr, Ronnie Burrage, and Bill Zaccagni,
Halle graduated with a B.F.A. in Jazz Drums Performance in 1996. He currently lectures in arranging and jazz history at UArts.
Halle has been writing music for big bands since his pre-teens and several of his works, published by Kendor Music, have been bestsellers, being performed all over the world. He receives commissions for big band works locally, as well as from overseas. His work has been performed by a number of prominent jazz musicians, including Jon Faddis, Rob McConnell, Dave Samuels, Bobby Shew, Kurt Elling, and Ray Anderson. In 2000 Halle took second place in the nationwide jazz-composer’s competition Jazzverk 2000 in Sweden. In addition to his big band writng, Lars is also well-versed as a composer and arranger for strings, choir, brass ensembles, and orchestra.
Since the spring of 2000 Halle has headed the Lars Halle Jazz Orchestra in Philadelphia. After a successful series of appearances at Alex’s Jazz Underground, the exciting ensemble currently performs regularly at Chris’ Jazz Café. Since 2002, the LHJO has collaborated variously with John Swana, Tim Warfield, and John Fedchock. LHJO’s first CD, Speaking of Apropos (2004), features original compositions by Halle and has received good response.
Since 1995, Halle has been actively involved with the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Arts where he teaches percussion, jazz history, jazz improvisation, music history, film criticism, big band, and free improvisation. He has been a senior faculty member at the PGSA since 2000 and, in 2001, he accepted the duty of audition team leader in music for the statewide interview process.
Throughout his musical career, Halle has also been actively involved in inter-arts collaborations. He has composed and played music for dance performances and has accompanied dance rehearsals. He has provided incidental music for theater and cabaret productions and has performed in orchestras for musical theater. He has held the position of Music Preparation Supervisor at the Prince Music Theater in Philadelphia where he was the copyist for productions of Cy Coleman’s “The Great Ostrovsky” and William Bolcom’s “Casino Paradise,” and the orchestrator for Charlie Gilbert’s “Gemini, the Musical.” Halle is also the percussionist on the recording for the multi-media theater production of “Harold and the Purple Crayon,” with music by Charlie Gilbert.