Piano phenom Matthew Whitaker is one of the most exciting talents in recent years. Playing in the jazz tradition with gospel roots, he will be joined on the Lyman Center stage by Kergyma and gospel artist Jarron Taylor & the Cross Bearing Nation in a Father’s Day evening that is not to be missed!
A Night with Matthew Whitaker
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Matthew Whitaker
Born in 2001 in Hackensack, NJ, Matthew Whitaker grew up surrounded by music. His love for playing music first began at the young age of 3 after his grandfather gave him a small Yamaha keyboard.
At 9, Matthew began teaching himself how to play the Hammond B3 organ. Four years later, he became the youngest artist to be endorsed by Hammond in its 80+ year history. He was also named a Yamaha Artist at 15, becoming the youngest musician to join the stellar group of jazz pianists.
Matthew has toured both here in the US and abroad, performing on world-renowned stages, including Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Apollo Theater, Carnegie Hall, and Jazz at Lincoln Center in NYC; SFJAZZ Center in San Francisco; the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC; The Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, Monterey Jazz Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, Playboy Jazz Festival, Telluride Jazz Festival and at international venues in France, Italy, Germany, Indonesia, UK, Australia, Switzerland, Portugal, Japan, Spain, Morocco, and South Korea.
Jarron Taylor
Elder Jarron Taylor was born in Bellevue, NE on February 9, 1984. He is the son of Superintendent Larry Taylor and Sandra Taylor, Pastor and First Lady of the Antioch Church of God in Christ (COGIC) of Omaha, NE. Jarron's biological mother Debra Taylor passed away in 1989 when he was just 5 years old.
Elder Taylor was raised in the church, and since childhood has been very active in the music ministry. At the age of 14 he learned to play the piano, and became a musical advisor for the Senior Choir of the Cathedral of Love COGIC. At age 16 he began facilitating the teaching and direction of the church youth choir. Elder Taylor surrendered his life to Christ in August of 2003 at the age of 19. Since then he has seen his ministry grow by the grace of God. He has been anointed to play the keys, sing, and is a psalmist. Having composed and performed a number of songs.
After enlisting in the United States Air Force in 2004, Elder Taylor was stationed at Misawa Air Base in Japan. While there he attended Greater Love Missionary Baptist Church where he participated in the music ministry as a singer and musician. In December of 2005, Elder Taylor accepted the call to ministry. Just a couple of months later in February 2006, he was elevated to the position of Minister of Music for Greater Love Church, becoming the youngest minister of music at that time in the churches history. In the summer of 2006, Elder Taylor was re-stationed to Robins Air Force Base in the state of Georgia, where he began attending Christian Fellowship Church. While attending Christian Fellowship, he formally received his minister’s license.
In March of 2008 after 4 years of service to his country, Elder Taylor was honorably discharged from the military, and returned to Omaha where he currently resides. Two months after his return, God gave Elder Taylor the vision to form a gospel singing ensemble, they are known as Cross Bearing Nation or CBN for short. Now in its thirteenth year, CBN has made several recordings that can be purchased and downloaded on all streaming sources, their latest being “He’s More”.
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Kergyma
Back with their latest project "Choir Life" Kergyma Community Choir was founded in November 2001, by Gwendolyn Busch Williams and Arnold "AJ" Johnson. Dedicated to their community, these believers came together for the sole purpose of witnessing to the lost with the aspirations of also going beyond the walls of their region to spread the inspired message of Christ to all.
Check out the project Choir Life which can be found on all media outlets
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