CENTER LOVELL — The Lovell United Church of Christ has announced the appointment of Jed Wilson as their new music director. Wilson’s tenure at the church will begin in August.

Wilson grew up in Gladstone, Ore.n, and began studying piano at a young age. As a teenager, he was an active performer on the Portland, Ore., jazz scene and won prestigious awards, including Downbeat Magazine’s Best High School Jazz Soloist honor three years in a row.

Wilson received a bachelors degree in jazz performance from New England Conservatory in 2004. While still a student at NEC, he formed a long-standing musical partnership with renowned jazz vocalist and NEC faculty member Dominique Eade. The duo have toured widely, and in 2006 released a critically acclaimed CD that appeared on many of the year’s top-10 album lists.

More recently, Wilson has performed extensively with singer/songwriter Heather Masse of The Wailin’ Jennys. The association with Masse has resulted in two albums and a host of appearances across North America. He has also recorded or performed with Aoife O’Donovan of Crooked Still, Sloan Wainwright, Darol Anger, Joe Walsh, Herb Geller, Nancy King, Jeremy Udden and The Wild Band of Snee, featuring Grammy-nominated cellist Rushad Eggleston. He resides in Lovell with his wife, Deanna, daughter Mona, age 3, and son Ezra, 11 months.