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Brief Biography

 Out of rock guitar beginnings, Jeffry Hamilton Steele developed into a solo recitalist on the classical guitar -- his principal teachers being Phillip de Fremery and David Starobin. While residing in Boston (1978-90), he worked with singers and contemporary chamber ensembles (Griffin Ensemble, Tanglewood's Fromm Festival, Peter Sellars Productions, Dinosaur Annex), at the same time composing and transcribing many works for his own flute-viola-guitar trio Primary Colors. In the early 80s he produced a number of topical chamber pieces -- involving slides and dramatic readings -- which he brought to the public in a series of Central America benefit concerts. Inspired by trips to Nicaragua (1984-5), he formed Por la Paz to bring further topical pieces to schools and colleges. In the 1990s, he taught music in the K-8 classroom and performed his "50 Ways to Play Guitar" show for many schools around New England. Later, he was Director of Choral & Guitar programs at Chelsea High School (just outside of Boston), served as Choral Artist in the Metropolitan Opera Guild's Urban Voices Choral Initiative and as Adjunct Professor of Humanities at MassBay Community College. He holds a Masters in Composition from New England Conservatory in Boston. He has led music for worship at a number of churches, colleges, for pastoral retreats and ecumenical gatherings. His composition credits include television, film, theater and dance productions -- and he is remembered out East for his collaborations with choreographer Carl Thomsen. He has six CDs out and Mel Bay has published two of his pieces in their Master Anthology of New Classic Guitar Solos.

In recent years, Steele moved from Gloucester, MA -- city of his birth -- to Tacoma, WA, where he maintains a private studio for teaching and recording. He teaches in his home studio and at the DASH Center for the Arts. He is married to Monica Steele, now Pastoral Assistant for Music & Liturgy at St Leo's Church in Tacoma (where he frequently plays for the Saturday 5 PM Mass), and has two step sons.