Jazz Pianist Shigeru Kawai Artist

Adrean Farrugia is one of Canada’s most distinctive pianists and composers. Working as both a freelance performer and educator, he has been in high demand since the late 1990s and has been recognized with several rewards.

Adrean also keeps a rigorous tour schedule — working mainly as a sideman — that has seen him tour across North America, as well as Europe, Australia, Israel and Japan.

His talents have seen him work worth some of the best Jazz musicians in the world, including Adam Nussbaum, Ernie Watts, Curtis Fuller, Larry Carlton, Bob Brookmeyer, Tom Scott, Eric Alexander, Randy Brecker, Cyrille Aimme Jane Bunner, Molly Johnson, Joel Fram and Ron Blake. He has also performed with a number of bands and projects, including the Matt Disk Brand, The Ernesto Cervinin group, the Brad Goode Group, The Johnny Griffith Quintet, Turboprop and the Bob Brough Quartet.

Adrean has released four albums as a leader. His second album, ‘Ricochet,’ was nominated for a 2011 Juno award for best contemporary jazz recording. He has also written over 30 pieces to date as a composer.

Adrean is currently a professor at Mohawk College and Humber College, where he teaches contemporary piano, ensembles, and improvisation. He has also taught at York University. Further, he has conducted workshops and clinics at the University of Colorado, the University of Toronto, the University of Western Ontario, the Banff Centre for the Arts, the Sydney and Brisbane Conservatories, and in Warsaw, Poland, as part of the Polish Jazz Society’s 35th annual Summer Jazz Workshop.

Adrean has had articles published in Larry Fine’s book “The Piano Book,” the world’s most renowned piano publication. Adrean has also been a pianist and panelist at the 63rd, 67th, 69th, and 70th annual World Affairs Conference in Boulder, Colorado.