Master musician and clinician Adam Larson visited the Bolles Middle School Bartram Campus March 29 to give a masterclass for Bolles band members as part of the Randall T. Skinner ’82 Musical Guest Artists Endowment. This fund allows the Bolles Fine and Performing Arts Department to bring in a resident guest musician every other year to work with students.

Bolles Fine and Performing Arts Director Laura Rippel and Bolles Band Director Maggie Vance arranged Larson’s visit in Parker Auditorium, where he helped students with their musical pieces and instructed them how to strengthen their performances. Bolles alum Randy Skinner ’82 and his wife Tracy Skinner also attended the session with Bolles Major Gifts Officer Rahul Sharma ’03 to get a behind-the-scenes look at the impact of their generous endowment. See video clip below.

Larson is a saxophonist, composer, educator and author currently residing in the Kansas City area. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in jazz performance from The Manhattan School of Music and was a part of the vibrant New York City jazz scene for 11 years before relocating in 2019. While a resident of Kansas City, Larson has held positions at the University of Missouri Kansas City (UMKC) Conservatory, University of Kansas and The Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI). He currently teaches Entrepreneurship at KCAI.

Larson continues to perform in New York City with some of the greatest musicians in the genre. As a guest artist, he has been invited to present masterclasses on music business, improvisation and composition at more than 100 universities across the globe. Larson has recorded eight albums as a leader and maintains an active touring and clinician schedule, playing and presenting his original music and educational materials. #BollesArts