Stuart Dempster facts for kids
Stuart Dempster, born on July 7, 1936, in Berkeley, California, is a talented musician. He is known for playing the trombone and the didjeridu. He is also an improviser and a composer, meaning he creates music.
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Stuart Dempster's Early Life and Education
Stuart Dempster studied music at San Francisco State College. After finishing his studies, he began his teaching career. From 1960 to 1966, he taught at California State University, East Bay and the San Francisco Conservatory.
Playing in Orchestras
During this time, he was also part of the Performing Group at Mills College. From 1962 to 1966, he was the main trombonist for the Oakland Symphony Orchestra. This shows he was a very skilled player.
Stuart Dempster's Career and Achievements
In 1967 and 1968, Stuart Dempster worked at the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York. He was a "Creative Associate" there, working with famous composer Lukas Foss.
Recording Famous Music
While at Buffalo, he helped create the first commercial recording of Terry Riley's important musical piece, In C. He had also performed in the very first show of In C in 1964. The next year, he became a professor at the University of Washington in Seattle. He became a full professor there in 1985.
Awards and Publications
In 1971 and 1972, he was a Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study at the University of Illinois. In 1973, he received a special scholarship called a Fulbright scholarship to study in Australia. In 1979, he wrote a book called The Modern Trombone: A Definition of Its Idioms. This book helps explain how to play the trombone in new ways. He also received a Guggenheim Fellowship award in 1981, which is a very important award for artists and scholars.
Collaborations and New Sounds
Stuart Dempster has worked with many famous composers. He asked them to write new music for him to perform. Some of these composers include Luciano Berio and Ernst Krenek. He also worked closely with his former classmate Pauline Oliveros and musician Panaiotis. Together, they helped start the Deep Listening Band. He even asked Pauline Oliveros to create a special piece called Theater Piece for Trombone Player in 1966.
Unique Playing Techniques
Dempster uses special techniques like yoga and breath control to help his playing. This includes something called circular breathing, which lets him play long notes without stopping for breath. He is also known for being one of the first people to bring the didjeridu (a wind instrument from Australia) to North America.
Stuart Dempster's Music Recordings
Stuart Dempster has released many recordings of his music. Here are some of them:
- In The Great Abbey of Clement VI (1987)
- Underground Overlays from the Cistern Chapel (1995)
- Deep Listening (1989) – with Panaiotis and Pauline Oliveros
- On the Boards (2001)
- Lung Tree (2005) – where he plays trombone, didjeridu, and even a garden hose!
- Echoes of Syros (2009) – with Tom Heasley and Eric Glick Rieman
- Mavericks (2015)
Recordings with Other Musicians
- With Joe McPhee: Common Threads (1996)
- With Greg Powers (as Pran): Raga for the Rainy Season (1999)
See also
- List of ambient music artists
