Darren Pickering

Darren is a Jazz Pianist/Composer/Educator, Keyboard Session Musician, and Modular Synthesist based in Christchurch NZ. His current projects include ‘Darren Pickering Small Worlds' (cinematic jazz quartet), and various solo electronic ambient works.

Darren currently teaches on the BMus Degree and NZ Certificate In Music courses (Jazz & Contemporary music) as a full-time tenured lecturer at Ara Music. His performing and teaching experience is vast. He has taught at schools in London, UK and Cairo, Egypt for many years, as well as the 15+yrs at Ara. He has performed gigs internationally (North America, UK, Egypt) including Jazz Festivals in Cyprus and Lebanon. Darren continues to be a regular performer at Jazz Festivals throughout NZ.

Some of the notable musicians he has performed and toured with include International Jazz Artists Gordon Brisker (USA), Dick De Graf (Holland), William Parker (USA), Raed Yassin (Lebanon), Bobby Shew (USA), Jamie Oehlers (AUS), Iain Ballamy (UK), Tom Warrington (USA); and nationally renowned recording artists Julia Deans, LA Mitchell, Mark Vanilau, Whirimako Black, Dave Dobbyn, Anika Moa, Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, Anna Coddington.

Darren’s keyboard/piano playing and compositions/songwriting also feature on Studio Albums such as ‘Stars’ (Shapeshifter), ‘The Stillness’ (Pacific Heights), ‘Modern Fables’ (Julia Deans), ‘The Deep’ (Oakley Grenell), ‘Iron‘ (Cairo Knife Fight), ‘The Oaks They Will Blow’ (The Tiny Lies), ‘In Session’ (Departure Lounge), ‘Sacha Vee’, ‘Rising One’ and ‘Luminous’ (Sacha Vee), ‘Oval Office’, ‘Move’ and ‘Don’t Stop’ (Oval Office), ‘Firefly’ (Glen Wagstaff), Sumo Jazz's ‘Shiko’ and ’Throwing Salt’ (finalist 2011 NZ Music Awards – best jazz album).