SCOTT ANDERSON
Scott Anderson is a TWO TIME Emmy Award-winning composer, music director, producer, and one of the Pittsburgh region’s most sought-after keyboard players.
Scott received an Emmy award in 2006 for his work composing the score for the award-winning documentary “From Pittsburgh to Poland: Lessons from The Holocaust.” In 2007 he won BOTH an Emmy and a Telly award for his work as music director and co-producer of “Live From Studio A: American Standards”. Scott was also nominated for Emmy awards in 2003 and 2004 for his work as Music Director of WQED’s “Live From Studio A” television show and again in 2010 for music contributed to the film “In Service”, a joint production of Pittsburgh Filmmakers and Bricolage. He was the organist for the Pittsburgh Penguins and a member of the Penguin’s house band, The Blue Line Band, for three years.
Scott’s musical diversity is what propelled him to preferred status as a keyboard player for the region’s top performers, including Joe Negri, Maureen Budway, HB Bennett, Eric DeFade, Lisa Bleil, Pete Hewlett, Chizmo Charles, Billy Price, Kenny Blake, Benny Benack and on and on. He can go from Jazz to Big Band to straight-ahead Rock & Roll without missing a beat.
His own current projects include playing keyboards and singing for the Hewlett-Anderson band, as well as solo appearances. Scott is the producer of The Holiday Jam, a very successful series of holiday concerts based on the television specials that appeared on WQED for many years.
And here’s an interesting bit of pop culture trivia: Scott was the Keyboardist & Musical Director of The Vogues from 1989-1995!
He’s backed up a number of National artists including The Temptations, The Drifters, Bo Diddley, Jackie Evancho, Kristen Chenoweth, The Coasters, Ronnie Specter, Lou Christie, Leslie Gore, The Shirelles, Little Anthony, Sam Moore (Sam & Dave), Peter Noone, Barbara Lewis, Frankie Ford, Len Barry, Bryan Hyland, Tommy Roe, The Crystals & Jay and the Americans.
As far as regional bands – Scott has played or recorded with Modern Times, The Late Edition, Up Front, Grapevine, Vibro Kings, Ice Cream Headache, The Balcony Big Band, Jazz for Juniors & The Benny Benack Band.
Scott is an adjunct professor at Point Park University and is a graduate of the Duquesne University School of Music. While he was at Duquesne, he played with some top National Jazz artists including Claudio Roditi, Jerry Niewood and Marvin Stamm.
LISA BLEIL, VOCALS
Lisa Bleil has been singing professionally since she was 18. She attended the Carnegie Mellon University School of Music where she earned a BFA in Classical Vocal Performance, and since then has performed in nearly every facet of the music business, from jingles to theater to television to teaching…she even did singing telegrams in college!
Lisa can be seen on the nationally-televised PBS series, “My Music” performing with Frankie Valli, Frankie Avalon, Darlene Love, Englebert Humperdink, and Ronnie Spector, among others. She was also a member of the house band on the Emmy Award-winning “Live From Studio A” series on WQED. She is currently on the faculty of The School of Music at West Virginia University where she teaches Vocal Jazz, and was previously the Voice Instructor for the City Music Center at Duquesne University.
Lisa maintains an active performing schedule in the Pittsburgh area, performing and recording with an array of Pittsburgh’s most notable artists, including Joe Negri, Hewlett Anderson, Benny Benack, Max Leake, regularly appearing in numerous concerts, including the annual Holiday Jam at the New Hazlett Theater and local clubs like Andy’s in The Fairmont and Eddie V’s.
Lisa accepts students of all ages and skill levels, sharing the benefits of her Classical training and her wealth of practical experience in Pop, Theater and Jazz. She particularly enjoys helping younger beginners learn good habits early and develop fundamental music skills, including reading and music theory.
BENNY BENACK, JR., SPECIAL GUEST
Benny Benack, Jr. is a legend in the Pittsburgh jazz and night club scene – a band leader well known for his virtuosic musicianship and charismatic audience appeal. The Benny Benack Band plays everything from jazz, swing, big band, Dixieland, Rhythm and Blues and Rock ‘n’ Roll – with wonderful vocals from the Great American Song Book and more.
The band’s front man is no stranger to the music world. His father, Benny Benack, was a Pittsburgh band leader and at the forefront of the Pittsburgh jazz scene in the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s. Benny Jr. song continues the family’s musical tradition playing trumpet, clarinet, and saxophone. His son, Benny Benack III, is following in his father and grandfather’s footsteps as a jazz trumpeter and vocalist, currently building a big name for himself in the jazz scene in New York City.