Akshat Jain (he/him) is a Chicago-based musician, educator, band leader, and arts administrator from Vadodara, India. He has lived in Zambia, the USA, Thailand, and Canada. After attending the International School of Bangkok, Akshat moved to Northern Michigan and graduated from the Interlochen Arts Academy in 2011. Akshat went on to earn a Bachelor's degree in Music Performance from Ball State University and a Master's degree in Music from DePaul University. Akshat attended the Aspen Music Festival and School in the summers of 2018 and 2019.
Akshat works in Chicago and travels nationwide. Akshat co-founded the Butter Chicken Brass Band, a South Asian Baraat band that fuses Bollywood and traditional folk songs from the subcontinent with New Orleans and contemporary-style brass band energy. Butter Chicken was awarded a 2022 DCASE grant from the City of Chicago and a 2025 NOITP grant from the parks district to present sensory-friendly concerts throughout Chicago. In addition, Butter Chicken has performed and presented workshops at Eastman School of Music, Quinnipiac University, DePaul University, and in Chicagoland area high schools.
In addition, Akshat currently serves as an executive board member and sousaphone player for Mucca Pazza, a 30-odd-member band based in Chicago since 2004. Mucca Pazza performs locally and nationally, has appeared at the WOW Festival in San Diego and the Festival Internationale in Lafayette, LA, and has been featured on NPR’s Tiny Desk.
He is also a co-founder of Tuba Force, a local Chicago tuba/euphonium ensemble that enjoys performing at community events, block parties, and private events. Read more about these groups under the “Projects” drop-down menu.
As an orchestral player, Akshat has performed with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Milwaukee Symphony, Wisconsin Philharmonic, Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Chicago Composers Orchestra, Muncie Symphony Orchestra, Oistrach Orchestra, New Philharmonic, Northwest Indiana Symphony, and more.
He maintains a private studio in Chicago and offers online lessons. Akshat currently teaches private lessons at Downers Grove North HS and Lockport Township HS. His students have gone on to attend the Interlochen Arts Academy, Ball State, Temple University, the University of Illinois, DePaul University, and Northwestern University. Akshat has taught at the Interlochen Low Brass Intensive since 2019 and has led masterclasses at DePaul and Ball State Universities.
From 2019 to 2024, he served Tuba Faculty and Off-Site Band Director at the Merit School of Music. His primary teachers have been Matthew Lyon, Floyd Cooley, Warren Deck, and Andy Smith. He also enjoyed studying with Gene Pokorny, Tony Kniffen, Dave Saltzman, and Dennis Nulty.
