Artist description Jay C. Wingard began studying and playing piano at the age of 5 and composed his first piece for solo piano at the age of 9. He began teaching piano at the age of 15 and began writing solo works for piano, chamber and cello at the age of 16. Jay then went on to create a revolutionary new program for exceptional children that uses music to assist in mental and motor skills. Jay has won several prestigious awards from the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts for original music composition and has written several full scale symphonies, 2 sonnets, 5 sonatas for piano and dozens of smaller pieces for piano, cello and voice. He has also served as music conductor for several plays in the Columbia area including writing original scores for plays such as "Ice Cream Town". As a music reviewer for the popular internet music site "Gods of Music", he has the chance to review and critique musical works in the genres he's most skilled in - classical piano, and neo-classical works. Jay's influences include Beethoven, Hans Zimmer, Chopin and most romantic classical composers. His music has been called "haunting" and "full of feeling". At first glance, you would put Jay Wingard's musical style in the classical genre. After listening to his collection of work you'll soon see his diverse musical capabilities. There's always that classical, smooth undertone - even in his more fiery pieces. Jay's reputation as a professional composer and arranger has grown tremendously due to his original compositions and his unique blend of haunting melodies with traditional classical techniques.

Music Style Solo Piano, Neo-Classical, Film Music, Classical

Musical Influences Hans Zimmer, Enya, Enigma, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, Sarah Brightman, Andrea Bocelli

Similar Artists Vangelis, Enya, Enigma, Hans Zimmer

Group Members Jay C. Wingard

Instruments Korg Triton ProX, Yamaha Motif Rack, Cello, Acoustic Piano

Albums The Wanderer, Wanderer Internet Collection, The Early Years, Wanderer II, The Collection, Reflections, Art of Sound, Christmas Collection, Jay C. Wingard, October Skies

Press Reviews "I have never heard music so incredibly moving in my life. It's as if it reaches out to the very soul of a person, and touches it, leaving them with a state of utter amazement that music can be so beautiful yet haunting. It's truly brilliant, you have such awesome talent." - MP3.COM Listener "This is a beautiful song [Dreaming]. It's haunting, and it's as if it had come straight from a beautiful, romantic dream..." - MP3.COM Listener"This song [Angels] just pulses with life. It feels like waves of darkness crashing upon a beach somewhere in space with angels flying in the sky above it all. It just has this beautiful, magical feel to it." - MP3.COM Listener "Like an aural aphrodisiac, Wingard's Ambient new age music is best enjoyed with a) significant other b) bottle of wine c) scented candles and or d) all of the above." - Listen.com "Sarabande II is a minimalist soundscape, an adventure into the mystique of lore and legend. Invoking "power" via simplicity, ghost-like choirs open the song into a foggy void. The percussion then takes you on a journey through this void. A single piano commands the entire piece to move, hauntingly, as it were a tree limb in the wind, barely brushing against the roof. Clocking in at approximately 2 minutes, this masterwork demands your undivided attention. Brilliant...Simple...Powerful!" - Gods of Music Review

Location Columbia, SC - USA

Copyright notice. All material on MP3.com is protected by copyright law and by international treaties. You may download this material and make reasonable number of copies of this material only for your own personal use. You may not otherwise reproduce, distribute, publicly perform, publicly display, or create derivative works of this material, unless authorized by the appropriate copyright owner(s).