Acclaimed jazz pianist Tamir Hendelman and his trio will present master classes and perform at Hope College on Friday, Oct. 1, in Wichers Auditorium of Nykerk Hall of Music.

The trio, featuring Hendelman on piano, Paul Keller on bass and Sean Dobbins on drums, will present clinics from 1 p.m. to 2:20 p.m. and then will perform as a trio at 2:30 p.m.

The public is invited.  Admission is free.

Award-winning jazz pianist Tamir Hendelman has performed with the Jeff Hamilton Trio, the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, Harry Allen, Teddy Edwards, Warren Vache, Houston Person, Jeff Clayton, Nick Brignola, Phil Upchurch, Rickey Woodard, John Clayton and Barbara Morrison.  His musical travels have taken him from Alaska to New York, and Thailand to Israel.

In his own trio, he explores standards, Brazilian music, blues and his Israeli roots. His debut CD "Playground" (2008) was released in Japan on the Swing Bros. label and was released in the U.S. in December 2008 on CDBaby.com. He is a Resonance Records artist.

Writing for "LA Jazz Scene," Harvey Barkan has said, "Hendelman played with a fullness of content and intensity, bringing new presentations of tunes. Not a fixed position player, Hendelman wears off the ivory over the entire keyboard. The trio yielded a magnificent product, well worthy of repeated listening."

Beginning his keyboard studies at age six in Tel Aviv, Hendelman moved to the United States at age 12 in 1984, winning Yamaha's national keyboard competition two years later at age 14. Concerts in Japan and the Kennedy Center followed.

He then studied at the Tanglewood Institute in 1988 and received a Bachelor of Music Composition degree from Eastman School of Music in 1993. He subsequently became the youngest musical director for Lovewell Institute, a national arts education non-profit organization.

Since returning to Los Angeles in 1996, Hendelman has been in steady demand as pianist and arranger, touring the United States, Europe and Asia, and receiving awards from ASCAP and National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts. In 1999 he was a guest soloist with the Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra.

Hendelman joined the Jeff Hamilton Trio in 2000, contributing arrangements, recording and touring Japan, Europe and the U.S. In 2001 he became a member of the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, with whom he premiered John Clayton's new orchestration of Oscar Peterson's Canadiana Suite in the Hollywood Bowl in 2001. In 2002 he also toured Europe with Tierney Sutton and the Bill Holman Big Band. Tamir musically directed Julia Migenes's "Alter Ego" and played/arranged on Roberta Gambarini's "Easy to Love."

With the CHJO, he has recorded for John Pizzarelli, Gladys Knight and Diana Krall. He is the pianist/arranger on Jackie Ryan's "You and the Night and the Music" and Janis Mann's "A Perfect Time." He is also featured on Natalie Cole's "Still Unforgettable" and Barbra Streisand's upcoming recording.

Nykerk Hall of Music is located in the central Hope campus at the former 127 E. 12th St. between College and Columbia avenues.