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Composer, pianist, and bandleader, Steve Tromans, graduated from Birmingham Conservatoire in 1997 with first class honours. His composition tutor was the then composer-in-residence, John Mayer, pioneer of World Jazz with his double quintet with saxophonist Joe Harriott, Indo-Jazz Fusions. Since then he has gained equal recognition as a bandleader in his own right, and as a sideman in a variety of nationally acclaimed ensembles, giving over 6,000 performances in concerts and festivals across the UK, the Republic of Ireland and Europe, plus tours and special performances in India, Bangladesh, Japan, and Italy, with an extended period of working as a jazz educator and performer in Mongolia in 2006.

As a composer, he has received a total of three major commissions to date, from the arts organisations Birmingham Jazz, Birmingham Town Hall/Symphony Hall, and Jazzlines. He has also written numerous other compositions for his various ensembles, including, most recently, a joint Birmingham-Chicago ensemble of improvising musicians.

Tromans has released a total of 18 albums of his original music, in a variety of genres, with a strong focus on improvisation.

In 2006, he was awarded Honorary Membership of Birmingham Conservatoire, in recognition of his achievements in music since graduation. In 2009, he was awarded a fully-funded PhD Studentship by Middlesex University, for research investigating creative process in music-making in jazz. Tromans’ research is currently in its last stages before doctoral submission, and has been grounded in his performance work with his quartet and trio. He was nominated for the Paul Hamlyn Foundation Award for Composers in 2012.

"Interesting young Midlands-based composer/pianist, fearlessly exploring the margins of regular jazz and free-improv."
John Fordham, The Guardian Pick of the Week

"So refreshing to hear. Vital, passionate, fresh... I am absolutely delighted.
Great musicianship."
Keith Tippett

"Tromans feels the silence as well as the storm, dappling delicately towards the opening of each piece, then heading out to the furthest reaches, building up unihibited torrents at both ends of the keyboard."
Martin Longley, Birmingham Post

"Tromans is continually proving his diversity, developing a strong voice as a composer and steadily building up his portfolio of different bands for different musical concepts."
JAZZ REVIEW Magazine

"No clichés here - rhythms that stumbled intentionally but never fell, off-the-wall free playing at times, and some keyboard work in which Tromans flirted recklessly with RSI. Good stuff."
Peter Bacon, Birmingham Post

"Easily the musical high point so far: Tromans' piano playing as thrilling as his brief solos on Saturday suggested... A pretty important work of British contemporary music. The sooner it receives a Radio 3 broadcast the better."
Richard Lee, Jerwood Foundation (re: Steve Tromans' Howl at Cheltenham Jazz Festival)

"Interesting stuff. You seem to be doing all the right things... It's not always easy, I know, but I hope you keep at it."
Derek Bailey

"Stands comparison with any new piece Birmingham Jazz has commissioned from any composer, British or international, in the last 10 years since the society took on the role of promoter of new music. It is a very significant work that I hope will have many performances... The presentation of the music at the Birmingham premiere was exemplary."
Tony Dudley-Evans, Birmingham Jazz (re: Steve Tromans' Birmingham Jazz commission, Howl and its premiere at the CBSO Centre, Birmingham)

"Without doubt the most ground-breaking and cutting edge performance we have ever presented in this context and proved to be one of the highlights of a very packed and star-studded festival programme."
StAnza Poetry Festival

"Relentless, fast, energising, mesmerising... From cacophony to lyricism, from fury to love. Leaves audiences breathless and exhilarated in equal measure."
Aldeburgh Poetry Festival

"Composer and pianist Steve Tromans has released 14 tracks of thoughtful harmonic invention. Classical meets jazz meets the East. Skillful, unique and startling."
MUSICIAN Magazine (re: Steve Tromans' Jewel in the Lotus album)

"Not just a piano trio playing a set of standards as most jazz followers will have heard ad nauseum. What occurs here is a carefully thought out and intricately arranged series of performances. Steve Tromans is a fluent modern pianist with a wealth of ideas and roots in many of the earlier players including Bill Evans and McCoy Tyner."
Music Web International (re: Green Troman Street album release)

"A brilliant young pianist and composer."
CBSO Centre, The Series