John Garvey (musician)

For other people named John Garvey, see John Garvey.
John Garvey
Birth nameJohn Charles Garvey
Born(1921-03-17)March 17, 1921
Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedJuly 18, 2006(2006-07-18) (aged 85)
Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S.[1]
GenresChamber music, Jazz, Russian folk music
Occupation(s)Musician, academic
InstrumentViola
Years active1940s–1990s

John Garvey (March 17, 1921[2] - July 18, 2006[3]) was an American musician, orchestra leader, and academic who played viola in the Walden String Quartet for 23 seasons, introduced a jazz curriculum at the University of Illinois, and created its Jazz Big Band which he led until his retirement from the university in 1991. The jazz band dominated collegiate jazz festival awards in its early days and in 1969 was chosen by the state department to tour the USSR and Eastern Europe. Many members of Garvey's jazz bands went on to successful careers as professional musicians and academics.

  1. ^ "John Garvey Memorial Celebration Held on Campus" (PDF). Sonorities: 4. Spring 2007. Retrieved 2016-10-01.
  2. ^ "John Garvey Music and Papers, The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music". University of Illinois Archive Holdings Database. University of Illinois. Retrieved 2016-09-13.
  3. ^ "Former music professor championed jazz studies at UI". The News-Gazette. Champaign, Illinois. August 3, 2006. Retrieved 2016-09-13.