Peter Fraize
Director of Jazz Studies
pfraize@gwu.edu
ext. 49046
Phillips Hall B-131
Artist's Diploma in Jazz Performance, Royal Conservatory of The Netherlands, 1989
Prof. Peter Fraize joined the GW Jazz Faculty in 1994; in addition to his duties as Coordinator of Jazz Studies, he teaches jazz improvisation techniques and directs the Rhythm and Blues Revue ensemble. He began playing at age nine and formed his first jazz group, Moments Notice, while still in high school in Reston, Virginia. The band played frequently in the Northern Virginia area and was featured at the Wolf Trap International Children's Festival in 1983. Prof. Fraize attended the New England Conservatory of Music from 1983 to 1985, studying classical performance with Kenneth Radnofsky and playing in the Big Band under the direction of Miroslav Vitous. In 1985, he traveled to The Netherlands, where he attended the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. After one year of private study with Leo van Oostrom of the Netherlands Saxophone Quartet, he entered the Jazz Performance program, which he completed in 1989. At the Royal Conservatory, Prof. Fraize studied with tenor men Rudy Brink, John Ruocco, and Sal Nistico. Prof. Fraize performed extensively in Holland, Belgium, and Germany. He toured with the Brazilian jazz group Tanga, the Rene ten Cate Quartet and Loek Dikker's Waterland Ensemble. He has been featured as a bandleader at the Heineken and Gouda Jazz festivals, and he performed at the North Sea Jazz Festival. Prof. Fraize was a founding member of the Dutch freebop quintet Scrapes, which won first prize at the 1989 Middelzee Jazz Concours, and was featured in many of The Netherlands top jazz venues, including Binhuis in Amsterdam and Dizzy in Rotterdam. Upon returning to the US in 1989, Prof. Fraize formed the progressive jazz quintet Stickman, which features many of Prof. Fraize's original compositions and has performed throughout the Washington, DC area, with engagements at Blues Alley, Lisner Auditorium, and the Kennedy Center Open House Festival. In addition to his work with local artists such as Dan Reynolds, Alfredo Mojica, Sr., and Origem, Prof. Fraize is a member of the rock band The Emptys, which plays frequently in Washington, DC, New York City and points in between.
