Jesse Ryan is an emerging musician, composer and community arts educator in Toronto. He grew up in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago surrounded by a rich heritage of music and migrating to Toronto, Canada in 2013. He was named a finalist for the 2019 Emerging Jazz Artist Award – an award that puts a spotlight on emerging jazz musicians with a keen sense of the grand tradition behind jazz music, while putting their own stamp on the genre and the Toronto music scene with their unique style and approach.

Jesse 10 years of accumulative experience in directing music ministries at various churches, leading worship, training and developing music ministry teams and fourteen years of experience in teaching saxophone, piano, music theory and developing music curriculums.

Jesse has had the opportunity to study at Berklee College of Music, Boston and Humber College, Toronto where he received a B.Mus. Degree in Contemporary Music. Currently living in Toronto, Canada, he has had the opportunity to study and work with some of Toronto’s finest musicians including Nick Morgan, Kirk MacDonald, Pat La Barbera, Luis Deniz, Alexis Baro, Shelly Berger, Roberto Occhipinti, Daniel Barnes, Rachel Therrien, Amhed Mitchel and Larnell Lewis.

“Jesse Ryan is one of the new upcoming arrangers/producers in the music business that is really going to make a name for himself.” — Shelly Berger (Juno Award Winning Bassist & Orchestrator)

As an arranger/producer he has worked with a variety of jazz, gospel and world music artists including: Jide Adeoye, Anne Ugobor, Stephen Lewis and Karen Jewels.

Jesse began teaching applied saxophone lessons at Canada Christian College in 2017 and   currently teaches course within the Contemporary Music stream of the School of Music.

Degrees

• B.Mus. Humber College

Top 3 Courses Taught

• Artistic Development (I & II)
• Music Technology (I & II)
• Contemporary Ear Training (I & II)

Favourite Bible Verse

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” – 2 Peter. 1:3-4