Hans Halt holds his bachelor and master degrees from the University of Nevada, Reno and is a full-time instructor of bass and jazz studies at the University. He is an integral part of the jazz and improvisational music program, teaching all levels of jazz improvisation, jazz arranging, jazz composition and jazz keyboard techniques.
Halt began playing bass professionally in Buffalo, New York. In 1980, he moved to the San Francisco Bay area gaining experience playing with top Bay Area musicians, including Mark Levine and Pete Escovedo. Since moving to the Reno-Tahoe area in 1985, Halt has been an active performer and composer with a variety of creative groups, including the Afro-Cuban jazz group No Comprende, The Ed Corey Trio (CD-Modal Citizen) and the University of Nevada, Reno's jazz faculty, The Collective, (CD's- North, Boats, Balance, Once and Again). He also performs regularly with the Reno Philharmonic and the Reno Jazz Orchestra.
Halt has performed with numerous top jazz artists participating in the Reno Jazz Festival, including Peter Erskine, Bobby Hutcherson, Geri Allen, Fred Hersch, Lee Konitz, Ravi Coltrane, Avishai Cohen and Joe Lovano. In June 2016, Halt organized a five-day tour with acclaimed pianist Art Lande and saxophonist Paul McCandless. In July 2016, he was a recipient of an artist fellowship grant from the Nevada Arts Council.
He is also an experienced clinician, having presented master classes and performances for the Reno Jazz Festival, Music Teachers National Association, The International Society of Basses and Brigham Young University.