ISB 2025 Convention Presenter — Utah Hamrick

            Dr. Utah Hamrick is a jazz educator who holds a BME and MM from Central Michigan University and a DMA in Jazz Performance from the University of Texas. He is the Director of Jazz Studies at Texas State University, where he conducts the Jazz Ensemble as well as teaching jazz bass, graduate jazz history, and graduate jazz pedagogy. His bass teachers include Peter Dominguez, Ed Fedewa, Davis Neubert, and John Fremgen.

Utah has been in central Texas for the last 21 years, performing with a wide range of ensembles. For the last 14 years he has been performing with composer Graham Reynolds, including his work with Golden Arm Trio, Austin Ballet, Forklift Danceworks, the motion picture soundtracks for Bernie and All is Bright, and touring internationally with his opera Pancho Villa from a Safe Distance.  Utah has also performed with jazz luminaries such as Houston Person, Byron Stripling, Larry Ham, Bill Watrous, and Tommy Igoe, and with Willie Nelson for the opening of the ACL Live. He can be heard recently on Altin Sencalar's Reconnected from Outside in Music, Hank Hehmsoth's Blu-Escape on Time Space Fabric Records, and Graham Reynolds' Music for Prophet parts 1-4 on Fire Records.