Taylor has been a judge since 2017
Taylor performs with her original band, 50 Below, at Bitter Jester in 2012.
Taylor's brother, Elliott, played with her in 50 Below in high school
Taylor Tucker
Bitter Jester Music Festival Judge
Taylor received her bachelor’s degree in Engineering Mechanics and her master’s degree in Curriculum Instruction from the University of Illinois. She currently holds a fellowship as an Engineering Education Specialist at the Siebel Center for Design.
As a student at Illinois, Taylor studied classical performance in the music program for non-majors. She has been playing piano for over 20 years and her performance repertoire includes Division I awards from the Northwestern University Festival of Music as well as composing service arrangements for Winnetka Presbyterian Church.
Taylor and Kacie performing with 50 Below at Bitter Jester in 2012.
In addition to piano, Taylor plays several other instruments including saxophone, concertina, and banjolele. She and fellow Bitter Jester Music Fest judge Kacie Swierk started a rock band called 50 Below when they were both in junior high. 50 Below competed in Bitter Jester in 2008 and again in 2012.
She has a history of sneaking into places with pianos to get a chance to play and likes to arrange 90-second covers of songs she enjoys. Check them out on her Instagram here!
