COMPOSER

Skyler’s original work explores the intersection of composition and improvisation, with an emphasis on creative mid and large sized ensembles. Living in the liminal space between structure and spontaneity, his music frequently features pairings of performers, and the juxtaposition of soloists in various settings.

Skyler is the recipient of a Jazz Road Tours Grant, a national initiative of South Arts, which is funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation with additional support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Skyler was commissioned by the Guilford Performing Arts Festival through their artist awards program for [Invisible Cities] Humanity, Memory, and Decay - A suite for a Jazz Nonet, which premiered at the 2021 edition of the festival. His work has further been supported by Pathways to Jazz and The New England Musicians Relief Fund.

In 2017, Skyler was accepted into the BMI Jazz Composer’s Workshop, a prestigious community of likeminded arrangers based in NYC, whose coaches included Andy Farber, Alan Ferber, and Ted Nash.

Skyler’s work has been the soundtrack for plays, films, and dance performances. Credits include a production of the play For Colored Girls (2015) directed by Lee Kenneth Richardson, the mini documentary On Ice (2019) by Kyle Lehman, and the dance piece OTHERLANDS by Corrine Shearer and Dancer’s Company (2019).

Skyler has also arranged for a variety of ensembles and guest artists with instrumentations ranging from big band to flute choir, and has adapted classical works into jazz forms. Credits include Steve Nelson and the WPU Big Band, The Yu Nishiyama Big Band, and the Wesleyan'‘s Flute Fest 2019. He is available for commissions, adaptions, and transcriptions.