Guitarist, educator, and composer, Erik Skov has been performing in Chicago for over a decade. A graduate of North Central College in Jazz and Anthropology and a Masters in Jazz from Northwestern University, Skov has established himself as an up-and-coming new jazz guitar voice in a city whit an abundantly rich jazz & blues heritage. An experienced performer on guitar, as well as banjo, Skov has been able to work professionally with top musicians and composers in the jazz and classical worlds including Victor Goines, Jonathan Newman, Derek Bremel, Mallory Thompson, Ben Bolter, Frank Caruso, Charleen Brooks, Chris Madsen, and several others. Skov can be seen performing in several Chicago based ensembles including Gustavo Cortinas Kind Regards, Kitt Lyles Real Talk, Emily Kuhn Quintet, Alvin Cobb Jr. Trio, MCH Trio, Matt Peterson Sextet, Roy McGrath Chi-Town Sounds, Victor Bastidas DePasie Project, and the Paul Windsor Orchestra. He has performed as a leader or sideman at the Green Mill, Andy’s Jazz Club, The Jazz Showcase, Room 43, Millennium Park, Skokie Theater, Hemingway’s Bistro and in festivals such as the Chicago Jazz Fest, Oak Park Jazz Thaw, and Hey Nonny’s Women’s Jazz Fest.    

Skov’s most recent project, Liminality, is a six-piece jazz ensemble that features saxophonist Dustin Laurenzi, trumpeter Emily Kuhn, trombonist Euan Edmonds, bassist Kitt Lyles, and drummer Gustavo Cortinas. The ensemble’s name, Liminality, comes from the anthropological term relating to the middle stages of a ritual or rite. In this stage, the participants have left their previous state and have begun a transformative process that will lead to the desired rewards. Skov’s upcoming album aims to celebrate music as the state of liminality, a lifelong musical process aimed at connecting and communicating with others.

Skov currently teaches at Lewis University, Morton College, and College of DuPage.