Originally from the Chicago area, Jeff grew up studying piano (with Mom), trumpet (with Dad and Stuart Lichti) and tuba (with David McCormick). After a few terms at the University of Iowa, where he also studied composition with Richard Hervig, he left the school-owned instruments and tuba playing behind for a career in engineering, though he remained involved in music on the piano and as a songwriter and composer. In January 2001, Jeff was "born again" into both music performance and education, when he finally acquired a tuba of his own. His serious brass rehabilitation has included studies with Michael Russell (Seattle Symphony-retired), Edgar Phillips (Pacific Lutheran Univ-Bellevue Philharmonic), Michael Grose (University of Oregon, Eugene Symphony), and Stephen Fissel (bass trombone-Seattle Symphony). He has played with the Wheaton Municipal Band and the Bill Russell Orchestra in Illinois (on trumpet), and locally with the Seattle Philharmonic, Federal Way Symphony, Rainer Symphony, Rain City Symphony (on tuba and trombone), Northwest Symphony (on bass trombone), the Mahler Festival Orchestra, and the Greenwood Concert Band, as well as doing rehearsal subbing in other orchestras. Currently he can be found performing with the Highline Symphonic Band, Brass Band Northwest, the Pontiac Bay Symphony, and the Eastside Symphony. Jeff's composition has also continued and has particularly blossomed after studies with Hummie Mann's Pacific Northwest Film Scoring Program. Recent years have seen world premieres of March Maligned and Incantations, both for brass band, and Suite Holidays, originally written for brass quintet, but rescored and performed with orchestra. He has conducted the brass band and orchestra performances or these premieres and was soloist on tuba in the Incantations and also the Concertino for Tuba and Symphonic Band, the latter which he performed with the Highline Symphonic Band. New pieces for the brass band and brass quintet in particular are regularly surfacing.
The Music of Jeffrey Taylor
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