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The American-born, London-based, jazz musician (trombone, vocals), composer and conductor, Scott Stroman, who attended high school until 1976, studied musicology at the universities of North Illinois and Miami (Masters 1982). During his studies he played with Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Bellson, Frank Rosolino and Marvin Stamm. He also led his own bands and was active in salsa bands in Miami.
Scott Stroman is a uniquely broad musician: a composer, conductor, performer and educator in jazz, classical and world music. He is director of the London Jazz Orchestra (with Noel Langley), director of the genre-busting choir Eclectic Voices, artistic director of Highbury Opera Theatre, directed the contemporary string ensemble Opus 20, is director of music at the American International Church in London and a conductor of orchestras, choirs, bands, opera and musical theatre. He also plays in a quintet with Bobby Wellins.
Jazz, world and popular artists with whom he has worked as performer, conductor and/or arranger include Phil Collins, Goran Bregović, Youssou N’Dour, Seu George, Billy Cobham, Randy Brecker, Kenny Wheeler, Rufus Reid, Dizzy Gillespie, Bobby Wellins and Liza Minelli. A singer and trombonist, he co-leads the Stroman-Jönsson Project with Swedish saxophonist Cennet Jönsson.
As a conductor his repertoire ranges from early through new music, including works for choir and orchestra by J.S. Bach, Haydn, W.A. Mozart, L.v. Beethoven, Igor Stravinsky, Arnold Schoenberg, Béla Bartók, Francis Poulenc, Benjamin Britten and their contemporaries. He has a particular interest in modern music of all styles, and has worked with orchestras including the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, English Chamber Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, Northern Sinfonia, RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra National de Lyon, Opéra de Lyon and Opéra de Toulon.
Scott Stroman often leads collaborative projects combining jazz and world music artists with classical musicians, and developed and directed the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s innovative Renga and Hit Squad ensembles. He loves working with young musicians and has directed many youth orchestras, choirs and ensembles including the London Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, LPO Future Firsts, Northern Sinfonia's Young Sinfonia, Devon Youth Orchestra and Sinfonietta, Cambridge and Peterborough Youth Orchestra and Southwark Young Musicians.
His numerous compositions include the football-themed opera Fever Pitch, the Shakespeare musical As You Like It, song-cycles Songs for the Seasons, Songs of Life and Liberty, Songs of the Spirit, Jazz Psalms, Little Mass, Jazz Mass, and Christmas Fantasia, music for orchestra, dozens of pieces and 3 suites for jazz orchestra, music for vocal ensembles, arrangements, and songs. He is currently writing an opera based on the play The Weekend by Michael Palin. His symphonic compositions have been performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, Opus 20, Western Sinfonia, Phoenix Ensemble and the Young Sinfonia. He has also acted as arranger and musical director of Billy Cobham's Extended Works and has also worked with musicians such as Youssou N’Dour, Herbie Hancock, Kenny Wheeler and June Tabor. Some of his jazz-oriented compositions can be heard on the sound carriers of the Guildhall Jazz Band, which he leads.
Scott Stroman has been a Professor in the Jazz Department at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama since 1983. He was made a Fellow of the Guildhall School in 1988. In 1984 he founded the Guildhall Summer School, which established itself as the most important semester break courses for popular music in England. He has won the BBC Big Band Contest six times and made four albums as director of the Guildhall Jazz Band, and teaches jazz composition, arranging and performance. He has led hundreds of courses and workshops in improvisation, performance, singing, world music, and conducting throughout the UK and Europe for education authorities, schools, colleges, universities, Arts Councils, choirs, and orchestras, was music director for the Globe Music Exchange and director of the African and Gospel Music Workshop at the Dartington International Summer School, and is artistic adviser to the Escuela de Musica Municipal in La Coruña, Spain. For the London Philharmonic Orchestra he has directed numerous workshops, family and schools’ concerts and the Orchestra in a Weekend programme mixing London Philharmonic Orchestra and amateur performers. His work has been featured on radio and television.
Scott Stroman often combines his roles as conductor, performer, presenter and educator to create unique programmes, crossing boundaries between styles and cultures and between performance, composition, improvisation, education, and entertainment. He has directed and presented many combined performance and education series and programs on the music of J.S. Bach, Haydn, Dvorak, I. Stravinsky, B. Bartók, John Adams, Lutoslawski, Duke Ellington, Gil Evans, gospel music, African music, Brazilian music and that of many other traditions and composers. |
