Erik Juhl

Bitter Jester Music Festival Judge

Erik Juhl is a music educator, multi instrumentalist, and composer born and raised in Highwood, IL. He is a graduate of Highland Park High School and Bradley University with a double major in Instrumental Music Education and Music Composition.

Erik has served as a music teacher in Chicago Public Schools for 13 years, helping student musicians identify and reach their potential through instructing general music classes, wind ensembles, jazz ensembles, and modern band ensembles. He currently serves as the music teacher of Peterson Elementary School in the North Park neighborhood of Chicago. Over the last seven years, Erik has worked with Chicago Public School's All-City Performing Arts program, an organization that provides students from all over Chicago an opportunity to perform in a variety of music ensembles. Erik's passion project over the last few years in the All-City Performing Arts program has been the All-City Beginning Band, a program designed to provide students who don't otherwise have an opportunity to engage in instrumental music education an opportunity to learn how to play an instrument at no cost to them. Erik has premiered several original compositions through the All-City program and derives a great amount of joy by including student voice in the composition process.

Erik's musical journey began when he was seven when his mother signed him up for piano lessons. A few years later and he was playing soprano and bass clarinet in the school band. In high school, Erik began learning electric and upright basses as well as guitar and accordion. This was also when Erik began experimenting with composing electronic music as well as music for wind band. Erik has played with a variety of bands on a variety of instruments. His current focus is experimenting with electric bass and soprano clarinets. Erik currently plays woodwinds with the Chicago-based group "SIP", bass clarinet with the Windy City Winds, trombone with the Horner Park Jazz Ensemble, as well as playing a solo acoustic sets in the area.

Outside of music Erik enjoys baking, long bicycle rides on the lakefront, and playing with his two cats, Dolphy and Booker. This is Erik's first time working with the Bitter Jester Musical Festival, but he is beyond excited to be able to support this work!