Jazz Instrumental Concert

The MCC Small Group and MCC Jazz Ensemble are having their Winter Concert Wednesday, December 6, 2023 in the Robin & Tim Wentworth Arts Building on the Mainstage Theater, 4-141, starting at 7:30 p.m. Come enjoy an evening of music provided by students and friends of the Music Performance Program at MCC. Guest Artists will be Geoffrey Smith on bass, Phil Lake on drums, and Bill Tiberio on Saxophone.

Geoffrey Smith earned his Masters from the Eastman School of Music, U. of R.
Geoffrey is a bassist and a craftsman, building high-end electric basses. He got Professor
Nyerges into woodworking! They have played together in many bands for over 3 decades.
Geoffrey was a professor at MCC and for the last 20+ years has been the recording techniques
professor and bass teacher at FLCC. He also plays and records with The Bill Tiberio Band and
the Nyerges, Smith & Lake Trio.
Bill Tiberio is in is 40th year as a music educator, and is a band Director at Fairport high school,
University of Rochester, SUNY Geneseo, Ithaca college, and Eastman community music school.
At Fairport, he has been selected as a Fairport high school alumni award recipient, as well as an
educator wall of distinction recipient. He has been recognized as an outstanding teacher through
the University of Rochester, secondary teaching awards and as a music teacher by the Rochester
Philharmonic Orchestra. Last year, Bill was one of 100 recipients of the Eastman school
Centennial award. He is active in the performance scene in the Rochester area, and leads the
Bill Tiberio band, which has released 4 records in the last 15 years. He is also a member of the
spiritus Christi Gospel choir band, the Bill Welch Band, allegro, up 2 somethin’, and uptown
groove, as well as a frequent member of the Russell Scarbrough big band.
Phil Lake is a professional performer and educator. He has a degree in Applied Percussion from
Berklee College Of Music in Boston, MA. In addition to maintaining a private teaching practice for
many years, Phil currently teaches drum set, percussion, and jazz ensemble at Finger Lakes
Community College. Throughout his career he has performed extensively appearing with many
regional as well as nationally recognized musicians including Randy Brecker, Eddie Daniels, Al
Vizzutti, John Faddis, Al Chez, the Nyerges, Smith & Lake Trio and the Bill Tiberio Band.
MCC Instrumental Music Director
Professor John Nyerges earned his B. Mus in Education and a Masters in Jazz Performance
Studies at Eastman. He has taught for the RCSD and Hochstein and started at MCC in 1999. He
teaches Jazz Improvisation, Studio Production, MIDI, Performance class, piano classes, Jazz
History and the Music Business. He also taught jazz piano and small group at Eastman’s
Summer Jazz camp for more than 30 years.
As a performer, John has 3 CD’s out of original compositions as a leader on NBRJazz which
received critical acclaim from JazzTimes (sic) and Cadence magazines as well as local reviews,
is listed on All About Jazz.com, and performed on more than a dozen others, and has 3 more
CDs coming out in ’22. John’s Quartet performed at the Syracuse JazzFest, the Rochester
International Jazz Fest (RIJF), and has been the jazz pianist for Rochester Philharmonic
Orchestra concerts for 30 years, Jeff Tyzik conducting. He has also worked with the Buffalo,
Syracuse, Utica, Erie, Northeastern Pennsylvania, Williamsburg VA. and Wilmington, DE
orchestras. Guests performed with the RPO or at Eastman, at Town Hall in NYC have included
Joe Henderson, Maria Schneider, Steve Gadd, Benny Carter, The New York Voices, Arturo
Sandoval, Peter Erskine, Gerry Niewood, "Doc" Severinson, Bob Brookmeyer, Joe Locke, Brian
Scanlon, Chris Vadala, Terrell Stafford, Pat & Joe Labarbera, Denzal Sinclaire, Shayna Steele,
Byron Stripling, Rich Thompson, Jeff Campbell, and Herb Smith. He has also performed with
Dave Rivello, Clay Jenkins, Victoria Corrigan, the NEJO (New Energy Jazz Orchestra), Vince
Ercolamento and more. He has also recorded as a sideman for many other bands and the RPO.