Michel Reis

Michel Reis was born in Luxembourg in 1982. Classically trained from the age of 8, he started to become more and more interested in Jazz and improvised music and at age 14, he entered the Jazz Class of the "Conservatoire de la Ville de Luxembourg", where he studied Jazz Piano with Belgian pianist and composer Kris Defoort and Harmony, Theory with Luxembourgian trumpet player and film composer Gast Waltzing and classical piano with Serge Bausch. After completing his studies at the conservatory, Michel went to Boston to study at the Berklee College of Music on scholarship, majoring in Jazz Performance and Jazz Composition. His teachers were Joanne Brackeen, Danilo Perez, Frank Carlberg, Ed Bedner, Hal Crook and Greg Hopkins. Michel Reis released his first album as a leader for WPR (Waltzing-Parke Records) in 2005, featuring Michael Oien on the bass and Dennis Frehse on drums. As a sideman, Michel appeared on the album "Fables of Lost Time", released by the band Largo for Warner Jazz UK; and on the CD "Stop Requested", with the Alex Terrier Quartet. Michel Reis performed extensively in throughout Europe, USA and Japan, with the Michel Reis Trio, the Nir Naaman Quartet, the Alex Terrier Quartet, High Groovin', Gast Waltzing and Largo, Didier Lockwood and the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg. Michel was awarded the 4th place at the First Moscow Competition for Jazz Perfromers (Piano) in 2005, and in 2006, he won the 2nd price at the Montreux Jazz Solo Piano Competition.