Pianists Tyler Bullock and Esteban Castro, both Jersey Jazz Rising Stars, are recipients of The Gilmore’s initial Larry J. Bell Young Jazz Artist Awards, to be presented in 2026. The Gilmore, based in Kalamazoo, MI, exists to “nurture and celebrate a passion for piano music.”
Bullock and Castro will each receive a $25,000 stipend to further their musical careers and educational development. A virtual award presentation, hosted by pianist Bill Charlap, is currently streaming at TheGilmore.org and on The Gilmore’s YouTube channel. Larry J. Bell is Past President of The Gilmore’s Board of Trustees.
Featured as a Jersey Jazz Rising Star in January 2024, Bullock (right photo above) began taking classical piano lessons in his hometown of Nashville when he was four years old. Eight years later, he discovered jazz through an organization called the Nashville Jazz Workshop. In his senior year of high school, Bullock was one of 24 high school students, out of hundreds of applicants, accepted into Carnegie Hall’s 2021 NYO Jazz Orchestra.
NYO Jazz Orchestra Artistic Director Sean Jones described Bullock to Jersey Jazz as “a fantastic young musician. Tyler is a natural born leader. I’m very thankful for being a part of his earlier career at NYO.”
Castro’s parents gave him a toy piano when he was three years old. “I would just kind of gravitate toward it a lot,” he recalled. “When I was four, they rented a piano and started getting me lessons. I got into jazz because I would really enjoy improvising and composing when I started playing. I would get up in music class and improvise. My music teacher said, ‘Why don’t you play jazz?’ So, that’s when I started to get jazz lessons.
Originally from Hackensack, NJ, Castro (left photo above) was featured as a Jersey Jazz Rising Star in April 2024. He graduated from Juilliard in the spring of 2024 and remained in New York to perform and compose, leading his trio and working as a sideman. For several years, he received private lessons from pianist Fred Hirsch, who said Castro “is a rare talent. I started teaching him at age 13, and it has been very gratifying to see him come into his own. As I continue to mentor him, I am encouraging him to stay focused and have patience in his playing. He has perfect pitch and fabulous technique and wants to use it all! I have no doubt that he will quickly mature and take his place among the top pianists of his generation.”
The four goals of The Gilmore are to:
- Identify exceptional pianists through a non-competitive process and provide significant support to enhance their careers.
- Present world-class music festivals featuring the finest international pianists.
- Provide an outstanding keyboard educational program.
- Support the creation of piano music.