Rufus Ferguson is a jazz pianist who earned degrees from Western Michigan University under the mentorship of Jeremy Siskind and Matthew Fries. During his tenure at WMU he has studied with artists such as Scott Cowan, Andrew Rathbun, Edward Simon, and Frank Carlberg and participated in exclusive masterclasses with artists such as Fred Hersch, Kenny Barron, Barry Harris and more.

Rufus got his start studying classical piano at the age of 5. He became a gospel church organist at a young age and later began playing jazz piano at age 13. His dedication to being equally well-versed in multiple genres of music has afforded him many unique opportunities such as playing with Grammy-nominated and award-winning artists and groups of all genres.

Rufus is an experienced performer, arranger, composer and teacher, specifically in the jazz genre. His arrangements have most recently been presented by his 9-piece ensemble at the 2018 Gilmore Keyboard Festival. Rufus has performed at several festivals such as the Notre Dame Jazz Festival, Elmhurst Jazz Festival, Flint Jazz Festival and the Jazz Education Network (JEN) Conference in Louisville, KY.

Rufus has taught at many jazz camps including the Keith Hall Summer Drum Intensive in Kalamazoo, Michigan and Show Choir Camps of America at Heidelberg University in Tiffin, Ohio. He is currently piano instructor for the Suzuki Academy of Kalamazoo, Crescendo Academy of Music, Kalamazoo Academy of Rock and Gilmore Education Department. He directs the Jazz Band at Portage Northern High School and is a rhythm section coach for the Kalamazoo Youth Jazz Orchestra.