A native of North Carolina, pianist Liz Barnes has been performing and teaching for over 25 years. She holds a B.A. in Music Performance and has studied privately with several well known jazz artists including John Toomey and Joel Futterman. She also studied extensively with acclaimed classical composer, Adolphus Hailstork, who greatly influenced her development as a jazz composer. While her piano style is firmly rooted in the blues, having toured extensively as a blues artist, it reflects the whole jazz tradition from early jazz to modernism. Liz currently performs primarily as a jazz artist although she is accomplished in most genres including R&B, funk, blues, rock, country and pop.