Donovan Mixon

Performed/collaborated with Alan Dawson, Billie Pierce, George Garzone, Eddie Henderson, Mineu Cinelu, Joe Ford, Bob Cranshaw, Lee Konitz, Steve Nelson, John Blake and many other notable musicians during his career.

In Italy he has performed as a leader in jazz clubs and festivals including the famous Umbria Jazz Festival as part of the annual Berklee College of Music jazz clinics and the Istanbul Jazz Festival. Among the many Italian musicians with whom he has performed are: Bruno Cesselli, Dario Deidda, Enzo Zirilli, Massimo Manzi, Paolo Ghetti, Agusto Mancinelli, Fabrizio Puglisi, Luca Garrischelli, Franco D’Auria, Ares Tavolazzi, Lele Barbieri, Silvio Zalambani, Ferdinando Faraò and many others.

Has performed with some of the top jazz names in Turkey such as: Neset Ruacan, Can Kozlu, Ali Perret, the famous neyzen Ercan Irmak, Senova Ulker and Onder Focan.

His multi-media concert production, ‘Language Of The Emotions’ combines original music with literature has been performed in Italy and at Koc Allianz Auditorium in Istanbul, Turkey.

After earning a Masters of Music degree from Manhattan School of Music he went on to teach at the prestigious Berklee College for seven years eventually rising to the rank of Associate Professor.

His interest in music education evolved into a series of seminars on the subject of ear training. The seminar is entitled after his text “Performance Ear Training” that was published in 1998 by Advance Music of Rottenburg, Germany. He has presented at major institutions of higher education in America, Europe and China.

In the year 2000 he began a new career chapter on the music faculty of the progressive institution of Istanbul Bilgi University in Istanbul, Turkey.

Six years later he opened Jazz-Play Studio in Istanbul. As a teaching studio and performance space, the studio gained a reputation on the Istanbul music scene for innovative private and group studies in improvisation. jazzplay.edublogs.org

Currently based in Chicago, Illinois, his activities include adjunct teaching at Harold Washington College, performing with 'Hybrid Project-West' and his jazz combo at clubs and larger venues, teaching, and writing fiction.

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