About Me
Seán McCluskey was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on October 3rd, 1985, into a musical household. Seán’s interest in jazz began in high school after an extended break from classical piano performance, a break from which he never completely returned. He was selected to the Massachusetts All-State Jazz Ensemble in both his junior and senior years as a pianist. In the summer after his junior year at St. John’s High School in Shrewsbury, MA, he was one of three pianists and seventeen musicians selected nationally to attend the inaugural Brubeck Institute Summer Jazz Colony, an event he acknowledges as a major turning point in his life.After graduating high school, Seán moved to Evanston, Illinois to attend Northwestern University’s School of Music, where he studied with Mike Kocour and Joan Hickey. He instantly found himself working heavily on the Chicago jazz scene with extended engagements with BluJazz recording artist Jeff Hedberg. Seán was also quickly taken under the wing of such mentors as Chicago greats Dennis Carroll, Joel Spencer, and Bobby Broom, who played on Seán’s senior recital.In 2006, Seán graduated from Northwestern with a Bachelors of Music in just three years. After receiving his diploma he moved to Chicago, where he performs and teaches extensively. He has recorded with the Northwestern University Jazz Ensemble, Sergio Pires, and the James Davis Quintet, among others. Currently he is a member of the Greg Duncan Quintet, the James Davis Quintet, The AJ Kluth Quintet, the Ed Brazeale Organ Trio, William Fillmore, and Rodriguez, teaches privately at the David Adler School of Music in Libertyville, IL, and at St. Patrick High School in Chicago, and plays Irish accordion extensively.
