Liam Gallagher is a versatile and award-winning upright and electric bassist based in Denver, CO. At a young age, he has established himself as a force on the local scene as a performer, bandleader, and educator in both the jazz and classical world. Gallagher currently attends the University of North Texas, and is majoring in Jazz Studies with a focus in Upright Bass Performance.
As a jazz performer, Gallagher has had the opportunity to perform with award winning artists and bands, and with the introduction of his In The Pocket Collective project in summer 2021, has broken ground as a bandleader. In 2021, Gallagher graduated from Denver School of the Arts where he was involved in the school’s Jazz Workshop Orchestra, under the direction of Dave Hammond. In the summer of 2020, he was awarded a full scholarship to the Berklee School of Music Aspire Five Week Summer Program as part of their Jazz Workshop Program. He was featured in an ensemble led by saxophonist Edmar Colon Gierbolini and drummer Terri Lyne Carrington. Gallagher has been in Colorado Conservatory for the Jazz Arts (CCJA) since 2018, and is the bassist for the program’s top ensemble, the Jazz Arts Messengers, currently under the direction of renowned artist and composer Annie Booth and drummer Alejandro Casta˜˜no. Prior directors include trumpeters Greg Gisbert and Shane Endsley. Other artists Gallagher has worked with include Paul Romaine, Eduardo “Bijoux” Barbossa, Brad Goode, Adam Bartczak, Tom Gershwin and Gabriel Mervine. Recently he performed with the Jazz Arts Messengers at the 2021 Red Rocks 8 o'clock Howl,the 2020 Virtual Five Points Jazz Festival, and was featured on Denver’s jazz radio station, KUVO 89.3 FM. Outside of performing for CCJA, Gallagher currently works as a student representative on the Board of Directors, a PA intern, and a near peer mentor for CCJA. He also performed at a charity event at the Colorado Governor's Mansion with the Black Tie Quintet. Before transferring to DSA, Gallagher performed with the Chaparral High School Jazz Band under the direction of Nick Hinman, was awarded the Outstanding Leadership Award, and earned a Letter in Jazz Band. With the Chaparral Jazz Band, he played at numerous festivals, such as the UNC Greeley Jazz Festival in 2017 and 2018, as well as the Grandview Jazz Festival in 2019. In 2017, he won an Outstanding Musician Award at the Mile High Jazz Festival.
As a classical performer, Gallagher has been active in numerous orchestras around the Denver area. In 2020, he joined the award winning Denver School of the Arts HS Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Dr. Enrique Lasansky. Gallagher is also involved in the Western Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Caroline Paetsch as their principal bassist and near peer mentor. In 2018, he received a full tuition scholarship to the Western Academy of Music summer camp. He was also involved with the Chaparral High School Wolverine Symphonic Orchestra under the Direction of William Stanfil as their principal bassist. In 2018, he was awarded the Chaparral High School Outstanding Musician Award and was the principal bassist for the Chaparral High School Spring Musical production Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.
