The music of composer Bill Evans will be celebrated at 7 p.m. Sunday, May 15, when bassist Bruce Phares and pianist Jeremy Bacon present a combo performance and lecture that traces Evans’ indelible influence on jazz, at Vashon Center for the Arts.

But wait — there’s more.

At the talk and performance, the two celebrated jazz musicians will be joined by a rising star — local jazz keyboardist Zander Knodt, who has just been accepted to the prestigious Manhattan School of Music, in New York City, and will leave for school in August.

Knodt, who just logged his 18th birthday, began playing music at age of eight, later joining the school’s jazz ensemble. At age 13, he first heard the playing of the world-famous pianist Oscar Peterson, who, in Knodt’s words, “blew my mind!”

Here are Knodt’s answers to some questions about his musical mindset.

Favorite musical influences?

“Oscar Peterson, Brad Mehldau, Keith Jarrett, Gonzalo Rubalcabo.”

Fave album? “Mehldau: Art Of The Trio Vol. 4.”

Fave songs to play?

“Chopin Etude, Opus 25 #1 and “I’ve Never Been In Love Before.”

Favorite music teacher?

“My private tutor, Cynthia Hughen.”

Current listened-to-most?

“Mehldau!”

When asked about jazz playing: “Jazz is a musical language, and just like any language, you can’t expect to understand and appreciate it right away. It takes time for many. People tend to think it’s unstructured, but actually, the truth is, there’s so much logic and structure to it.”

Check out Knodt’s YouTube channel at tinyurl.com/ZanderYouTube, and visit tinyurl.com/TalkOnTheRockBillEvans for an interactive webpage with pre-lecture information.

Get tickets to the talk at vashoncenterforthearts.com.