Biography

Winston Barta is a Vancouver-based multi-instrumentalist, educator and composer who regularly performs across metro Vancouver. Raised in a household that always had music playing, whether it was Bob Marley or Duran Duran, Winston always had a passion for music. At 9, he joined his school band, playing clarinet and flute. Over the course of elementary school, he would pick up various instruments including trombone, drums and oboe. In high school he discovered jazz, playing jazz drums for five years and jazz trombone for two. He still practiced classical clarinet in high school and was thinking about going to post-secondary for classical music. Yet through a jazz summer camp, he found a deeper connection with jazz music and made the snap decision to pursue jazz clarinet and later jazz saxophone. Now, Winston's playing is steeped in the tradition of the music he studies, deeply inspired by the great tenor players of previous generations. As his playing develops, so does his teaching, he has loved teaching for as long as he can remember and has wanted to teach music since he was little.