ABOUT
BIOGRAPHY:
Kelvin Sholar comes from a multi-generational family of musicians in Detroit, Michigan (USA); he sang as a child. At sixteen, Sholar began piano lessons; then, he won first place in the Michigan Bach Festival performing from J.S. Bach’s “Well Tempered Clavier”.
Since then, Kelvin has worked with Jazz greats Lenny White, Wallace Roney, Jerry Gonzales, Winard Harper, Roy Hargrove, Ronnie Cuber and Greg Osby, as well as, greats in other styles- like Stevie Wonder, Qtip, Carl Craig and Nigel Kennedy.
In 1996 Kelvin Sholar founded Esoterica, which later evolved into various incarnations of Kelvin Sholar Trio. In 2015 Eric Vaughn and Charles Sammons joined; their program consists of original compositions, as well as, unique arrangements of famous Jazz, Blues, Pop or Classical compositions.
Kelvin Sholar performs in theaters, concert halls, clubs and festivals worldwide; he teaches Jazz piano, English speaker training for foreign vocalists and electronic jazz at Franz Liszt Weimar; he has appeared in newspaper, television, radio, podcast and film.
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HIGHLIGHTS:
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Performed on over 70 audio recordings in various styles
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Appears in over 50 visual media of various kinds
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Endorses Bechstein pianos and software, Native Instruments software and hardware, Dave Smith’s Prophet or Oberheim, Ploytech’s “34ONEII” or “Pi Lambda Squared”, and M-Audio’s “Axiom Air 49”
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Modeled Dior, Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Ferragamo Shoes in Rondo Exklusiv {SED / COMP CARD}
PUBLICITY:
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Cameo performance in Wes Anderson’s film The Phoenician Scheme (May 30, 2025)
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Cameo performance in Kimia Kazemi’s film Crimson Unveiled (2026)
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Subject of short documentary film by Thabo Thindi (South Africa)
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Featured in Audible / Shelved podcast on Kamaal The Abstract (2024)
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Previously featured in Detroit Free Press, Artforum International, Groove Magazine, MM Trendy, Ovation International, TIP Berlin
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Previously featured on BBC, Deutschland Radio Kultur, CNN Worldview, SRF, WDR, Worldwide FM, NPR, Funkhaus Europa, Le Mouv {PRESS}
SYNCHS:
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Music performed by The Roots on Jimmy Fallon
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Music licensed to So You Think You Can Dance, American Idol
TOURING:
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Stevie Wonder Song Traveling Tour (Vocals)
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Carl Craig Versus Synthesizer Ensemble (Piano, Synth): US, Europe, Australia including Carnegie Hall or Royal Albert Hall
BIOGRAPHY:
Kelvin Sholar comes from a multi-generational family of musicians in Detroit, Michigan (USA); he sang as a child. At sixteen, Sholar began piano lessons; then, he won first place in the Michigan Bach Festival performing from J.S. Bach’s “Well Tempered Clavier”.
Since then, Kelvin has worked with Jazz greats Lenny White, Wallace Roney, Jerry Gonzales, Winard Harper, Roy Hargrove, Ronnie Cuber and Greg Osby, as well as, greats in other styles- like Stevie Wonder, Qtip, Carl Craig and Nigel Kennedy.
In 1996 Kelvin Sholar founded Esoterica, which later evolved into various incarnations of Kelvin Sholar Trio. In 2015 Eric Vaughn and Charles Sammons joined; their program consists of original compositions, as well as, unique arrangements of famous Jazz, Blues, Pop or Classical compositions.
Kelvin Sholar performs in theaters, concert halls, clubs and festivals worldwide; he teaches Jazz piano, English speaker training for foreign vocalists and electronic jazz at Franz Liszt Weimar; he has appeared in newspaper, television, radio, podcast and film.
{Full BIO}
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Performed on over 70 audio recordings in various styles
- Appears in over 50 visual media of various kinds
- Endorses Bechstein pianos and software, Native Instruments software and hardware, Dave Smith’s Prophet or Oberheim, Ploytech’s “34ONEII” or “Pi Lambda Squared”, and M-Audio’s “Axiom Air 49”
- Modeled Dior, Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Ferragamo Shoes in Rondo Exklusiv {SED / COMP CARD}
PUBLICITY:
- Cameo performance in Wes Anderson’s film The Phoenician Scheme (May 30, 2025)
- Cameo performance in Kimia Kazemi’s film Crimson Unveiled (2026)
- Subject of short documentary film by Thabo Thindi (South Africa)
- Featured in Audible / Shelved podcast on Kamaal The Abstract (2024)
- Previously featured in Detroit Free Press, Artforum International, Groove Magazine, MM Trendy, Ovation International, TIP Berlin
- Previously featured on BBC, Deutschland Radio Kultur, CNN Worldview, SRF, WDR, Worldwide FM, NPR, Funkhaus Europa, Le Mouv {PRESS}
SYNCHS:
- Music performed by The Roots on Jimmy Fallon
- Music licensed to So You Think You Can Dance, American Idol
TOURING:
- Stevie Wonder Song Traveling Tour
- Carl Craig Versus: US, Europe, Australia including Carnegie Hall or Royal Albert Hall
NEWS
UPCOMING EVENTS
- Kelvin Sholar Trio / Hat Bar Jam Session / Feb 3, 10, 17, 24
- Kelvin Sholar Trio / Badenscher Hof / Feb 6
- Fuasi Abdul Khaliq + Kelvin Sholar / Goldmarie, Leipzig / Feb 21
- Kelvin Sholar / Protestand Faith Fellowship Black History Month Program / Feb 22
- Kelvin Sholar Trio / Hat Bar Jam Session / March 3, 10, 17, 24, 31
- Future Selves: Unfolding Skies Record Release / March 14
- Kelvin Sholar Trio + Sam Leigh Brown / Badenscher Hof / March 20
- Kelvin Sholar Trio / Yorckschlosschen / April 3
- Kelvin Sholar Trio / Hat Bar Jam Session / April 7, 14, 21, 28
- Kelvin Sholar Quintet / Zigzag / April 15
- Tribute To Jazz Crusaders / Bflat / April 24-25
- Mocky “LA Meets Berlin Jam“/ Gretchen / April 28
- Kelvin Sholar Quintet / Badenscher Hof / April 30
- Kelvin Sholar Trio / Hat Bar Jam Session / May 5, 12, 19, 26
- Tribute To Jazz Crusaders / Badenscher Hof / May 15
- Kelvin Sholar Trio / Yorckschlosschen / May 23
- Yours Truly / Bflat / May 28
- Kelvin Sholar Trio / Hat Bar Jam Session / June 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
- Kelvin Sholar Trio / Hat Bar Jam Session / July 7, 14, 21, 28
- Kelvin Sholar Trio / Yorckschlosschen / July 10
FUTURE SELVES
On March 14, 2026 Future Selves will release UNFOLDING SKIES. Future Selves is an electronic jazz-techno trio that redefines the boundaries between improvisation and sound design. Featuring Kelvin Sholar and Greg Burk on keyboards, and Fabio Recchia on electronics, the group’s debut recording, “Unfolding Skies”, is a journey through pulsating rhythms, evolving textures, and spontaneous musical dialogue.
Kelvin and Greg first met on the vibrant Detroit jazz scene in 1991, where both were deeply influenced by the city’s dual heritage of jazz innovation and techno experimentation- including touring with Carl Craig on his “Versus” tour of America, Europe and Australia. Their reunion with Fabio—an iconic figure in Italy’s underground electronic music scene for over three decades—sparked a new creative chemistry.
Future Selves merges deep harmonic awareness with cutting- edge live electronics, creating performances that are immersive, unpredictable, and emotionally charged. Their music reveals our futures selves — where the digital and human pulse dance together.
For Press and Booking contact: [email protected]
RENAISSANCE:
THE GAME
- On October 31, 2025 RENAISSANCE: The Game (R:TG), (designed by Aleksandra), was unveiled. The basic concept of gameplay is that the player gets dropped into a panopticon composed of twelve rooms, each containing a music player for a given track of the Renaissance Record. When the music player is activated, then the Panopticon awakens and transforms as wall textures shift, light moves and objects dance. The first unlocked room of the game is “The Infernal Dance Of King Katchei”; activating the music player causes abstract zombies to “dance”.
- On January 1, 2026 the second room of R:TG was unlocked: “BlackJack”. When the music player is active, one can enjoy a wonderful proximity based, color-changing bubbles, show.
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TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS: R:TG is only accessible through a web browser, (e.g. Chrome or Firefox); on a laptop or desktop computer
ANIMATION NEWS
LEIKGEF, the 3d animation uniquely created by Aleksandra to Chris Sholar‘s remix of Kelvin Sholar’s original track from Renaissance, is an official selection of:
24 FRAME Future Film Festival
October 17 – 19 (IT)
accordi @ DISACCORDI International Film Festival
November 3 – 9 (IT)
Ionian Contemporary Animation Festival 2025 (ICONA)
November 13 – 16 (GR)
OLA I-III, created by Aleksandra with sound scaping by Kelvin Sholar is an official selection of ALC Videoart Festival 2025 Museum for Contemporary Art (Sept 10-13) (ES)
THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME
Kelvin Sholar appears in Wes Anderson’s film “The Phoenician Scheme“ (May 30, 2025) with Fuasi Abdul-Khaliq Sextet aka The Jazz Phoenicians (Fuasi Abdul-Khaliq: Tenor Saxophone, Christian Grabandt: Trumpet, Rob Gutowski: Trombone, Kelvin Sholar: Piano, Erik Unsworth: Acoustic Bass, Eric Vaughn: Drum Set). Sholar arranged “Mud Bug”, which is performed in the film and on the sound track, along with Fuasi Abdul-Khaliq’s arrangement of “A Night In Tunisia”.
RENAISSANCE
On May 22, 2025 Kelvin Sholar released RENAISSANCE; a rebirth of select original compositions and famous themes by the likes of Suburban Knight, Joe Henderson, Igor Stravinsky, Ray Charles and Marvin Gaye. Download EPK
PERSONELLE:
Kelvin Sholar: acoustic piano, electric piano, synthesizers, electronics, percussion, vocals
Eric Vaughn: drum set and percussion
Charles Sammons: acoustic bass and percussion
Chris Sholar: electronics, reimagination
Aleksandra: animation / cover / typography / game design
Michael May: thematic photography
