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last updated on 12/29/11 |
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"Plays a mean guitar" --Lloyd Schwartz (Boston Phoenix, NPR, Pulitzer Winner)  
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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 now teaches full-time -- General Music,
choirs and ensembles -- at St Thomas More School in Lynnwood, WA.
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. He
is married to Monica Steele, now Pastoral Assistant for Music & Liturgy
at St Leo's Church in Tacoma, and has two step sons. Professional memberships: MENC (Music Educators National Conference), WMEA (Washington Music Educators Association), AOSA (American Orff-Schulwerk Association), Evergreen Orff Chapter, NPM (National Pastoral Musicians) |
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above
background art by Carla Mattioli Awakening
Arts |
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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.
