Bio - BRIAN BATCHELOR-GLADER BRIAN BATCHELOR-GLADER BBG BIO RESUME

Meet BBG:

Brian Batchelor-Glader (aka “BBG”) began studying the piano at age nine, quickly developing a strong classical foundation that paved the way for a rich and diverse musical career. His passion for performance during his youth also prompted him to audition for and star in high school musical productions, including Little Shop of Horrors and Guys and Dolls at Ellet High School in Akron, Ohio. These early roles helped him hone his singing, piano playing, and acting abilities before he graduated with honors.

During these formative years, BBG furthered his formal education at the Birch Creek Summer Performance Center, studying under faculty from the Eastman School of Music, and dedicated several years to studying classical piano with Professor Dr. Dan Barber at Cleveland State University.

However, jazz ultimately became Brian’s discipline of choice. By the age of 15, he was already performing regularly and professionally at local Akron venues. Heavily inspired by major jazz and contemporary influences like Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Oscar Peterson, Joe Zawinul, and Stevie Wonder, Brian sought out advanced training to further refine his skills. He studied jazz piano under Cleveland legend Dan Wall, later studying with renowned Cincinnati jazz musician Phil DeGreg at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), graduating with his Bachelor’s degree.

Throughout his career, Brian has earned numerous accolades and won several notable performance competitions, including multiple first-place jazz pianist awards at the Akron Jazz Fest, Capital University Jazz Fest, University of Findlay Jazz Fest, and Lakeland Jazz Fest, alongside selection into the prestigious high school and collegiate OMEA All-State Jazz Bands. Beyond the jazz circuit, his versatile talent has landed him positions in professional classical ensembles, performing with the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, the Blue Ash Symphony, the Hamilton-Fairfield Symphony Orchestra, and the Middletown Symphony.

As an educator, Brian has shared his extensive knowledge with the next generation of musicians, serving as an adjunct faculty member at Xavier University and continuing to instruct students of all ages and skill levels at the Cincinnati Music Academy.

BBG’s career has also taken him around the world, touring with several prominent bands across the United States, Canada, Ireland, Puerto Rico, Europe, Mexico, and the Bahamas. The diverse musical projects he collaborates with include Organized Gentlemen, Old Green Eyes & BBG, Mambo Combo, The Philip Myers Band, Crystalline Machine, and BBG & Company. He is also a core and founding member of Eclipse Movement, a groundbreaking hip-hop-jazz-fusion band that won multiple Cincinnati Entertainment Awards. Eclipse Movement’s distinct style even led them to film a television pilot with former Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Dhani Jones for a talk show project titled In the Zone with Dhani Jones.

In addition to live performance, Brian is an accomplished producer and electronic music composer, working alongside Doctor Bionic of Chiefdom Records. To date, he has co-produced over twenty albums, with engineering and performance credits spanning Eclipse by Eclipse Movement, The Battle Within by Jahson, Subterrain by Subterrain, Live Again by Mood, and Live at the Blue Wisp by BBG & Company. He also co-produced Eclipse Movement’s second studio release, Around the World, which earned CityBeat Magazine’s coveted Best Album of 2011 award, as well as their follow-up third album, Blind. In 2020, BBG released his favorite Doctor Bionic collaboration, The Love Frequency, alongside his festive holiday album, Stocking Stuffers, by BBG & Company. His recent studio work includes featured performances on In Concert by Mambo Combo and Let’s Roll Let’s Ride by Steve Raszka.

Over the decades, Brian has shared the stage and studio with an impressive, wide-ranging roster of world-renowned musicians, including Jeff Coffin (Dave Matthews Band), Brian Newman (Lady Gaga), CeeLo Green (Gnarls Barkley, OutKast), Othello Molineaux (Jaco Pastorius), Fred Wesley (James Brown), Kevin Chalfant (Journey), Bobby Kimball (Toto), Alex Ligertwood (Santana, Jeff Beck, Brian Auger), Kim Wilson (Fabulous Thunderbirds), and Jim Keller (Tommy Tutone).

Résumé

Education

Ellet High School | Akron, OH. | 2001

College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) | 2005
University of Cincinnati

Bachelor’s of Music in Jazz Piano Performance and Composition

Private Instructors and Mentors

Gail Powers, Classical Piano | 1993-1996
Dan Barber, Classical Piano (Cleveland State) | 1997-2001
Dan Wall, Jazz Piano | 2000-2001
Phil DeGreg, Jazz Piano (CCM) | 2001-2005

Teaching

Cincinnati Music Academy | 2006–Present
Piano Instructor

Weekly private piano lessons to a variety of students ranging from beginner to advanced
Styles of music taught include (but aren’t limited to) Classical, Jazz, Blues, Pop, Funk, and Rock n’ Roll
Lessons include music theory, music reading, and composition
Students participate in bi-annual recitals (followed by a reception)

Xavier University | 2011-2023
Adjunct Faculty

Private jazz piano instruction
Students participate in school ensembles
Personal performance in faculty ensembles
Assistance with jazz ensembles

Wyoming Fine Arts Academy | 2009
Theory and Improvisation Teacher

Taught beginning theory and improvisation during their summer program

Buddy Rogers Music, Cincinnati, OH | 2004-2006
Piano Instructor

Private lessons for every skill level
Piano and keyboard instruction

Performance

ORCHESTRAL

•Kentucky Symphony Orchestra | 2024–Present
•Blue Ash-Montgomery Symphony Orchestra | 2010–2012
•Hamilton-Fairfield Symphony Orchestra | 2009
•Middletown Symphony | 2009

BANDS | PROJECTS

ORGANIST | PIANO

•St. Barnabas Episcopal Church | 2007-2013
•Holy Trinity Episcopal Church | 2012-2013
•Four Corners Church | 2005-2006

MUSICALS

Awards

Albums

Instruments

Primary:
•Piano
•Hammond Organ
•Keytar
•Keyboard
•MOOG Synthesizer
•The Melodica
Secondary:
•Vocals
•Flute
•Guitar
•Bass
•Drums