His Music

Influenced by a variety of genres of music including classical, hip-hop, R&B, jazz, and gospel, Steinert strives to create a lyrical and rhythmic atmosphere that distinguishes technical and conceptual proficiency while injecting his own imagination and convictions to make each night, each set, and each song sincere and unique.

Background

Steinert began formal classical lessons at age seven from several local piano teachers, continuing through until he was eleven. Through the recommendation of his middle school band teacher Pat Conley, Steinert contacted local musician Dave Adams from Virginia Beach, Virginia for lessons. Adams, a dedicated and experienced high school band teacher, introduced Steinert to jazz, giving him lessons and including him in Adams' New Mexico-born "Young Razzcals Jazz Project." Throughout his stay with the Razzcals until he was 14, Adams introduced Steinert to the recording studio, the jam session, and the stage, complete with some of today's most recognized artists, including Ray Brown, Terence Blanchard, Kevin Eubanks, Jon Hendricks, Peter Nero and others.

When Steinert was 14, he was accepted to attend Virginia's Governor's School for the Arts, a regional visual and performing arts secondary school operating out of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. Steinert's interest in jazz accelerated as he spent his afternoons at Governor's School surrounded by those sharing the same musical devotion as he did.

In January 2006, Steinert was invited to play with saxophonist Alex Han as part of the 11th annual Festival de Jazz de Lapataia, Uruguay. The group was so well received that an encore lasting over thirty minutes followed their performance; it featured two of Steinert's own compositions: "Styles" and "Virgin Voyage." In July, Steinert was one of four pianists internationally selected to participate in the second annual Grammy Camp. This seventeen-day program held in Los Angeles explored thirteen music career tracks, which included instrumental performance. During the camp, he was also chosen to play for a Grammy Foundation fundraiser honoring the mayor of Los Angeles. He, along with seven other musicians from the Grammy Camp and 2005 Grammy Jazz Ensemble, performed for an audience that included Oprah Winfrey, Donald Trump, George Lopez, Quincy Jones and others.

In August 2006, Steinert was the only pianist chosen in North America for the Telluride Student All-Stars, headed by Bob Montgomery and John McNeil. During that week, he performed with five other musicians in the Telluride Jazz Celebration as well as various venues. Festival headliners included Ernie Watts, Terence Blanchard, and Herbie Hancock. Steinert, 17, recently graduated from the Virginia Governor's School for the Arts and will pursue music on scholarships at Berklee College of Music in Boston.