The New School, Music/Jazz Studies

I am a New York-based jazz guitarist and composer, who has had the opportunity to work with a wide variety of legendary jazz artists, as well as an educator who has been Artistic Director of jazz workshops in Singapore, Italy, and Korea. I designed and taught
the rhythm curriculum for many years at the New School, when its jazz and contemporary music program was one of the best in the world, with many top students who went on to become international stars. I was fortunate to be a Fulbright Scholar Award in 2013-2014,
based at JAMU in Brno, with the Czech Fulbright commission wonderfully supportive of my maximizing my outreach: in addition to working with the high level students in Brno and making valuable progress towards completing my 6-volume rhythm book series (now available at therhythmbooks.com), I was able to perform all over the Czech Republic, and to get intercountry travel support for brief trips to teach and perform in a number of other countries, including Greece and Iceland.

Having already worked with Dimos Dimitriades, head of the music department at Ionian University in Corfu, and with Sigurður Flosason who now heads the jazz department at Iceland U of the Arts in Reykjavik, I knew these were institutions at which I would enjoy being a guest; I applied for and received the first joint Greece-Iceland Fulbright Award.  As I write this, I have nearly completed my 3 months in Corfu, in which I’ve worked with students at Ionian University through directing ensembles, teaching weekly guitar master classes and advanced rhythm clinics, and contributing to Dimos’s weekly rhythm class. Although I have not travelled outside of Corfu during this trip, I’ve also taught rhythm clinics over the internet to students at University of Macedonia and University of Ioannina. We have been looking into possibilities for Greek and Icelandic music students to collaborate, which I will continue to explore once I am in Reykjavik. Much of my creative practice in Greece has focused on composing, and I am currently deep into writing a piece for orchestra with baritone saxophonist and guitarist as guest artists.

Top Photo (right to left) Rory Stuart U.S. Fulbright Scholar to Greece-Iceland with host and Fulbright alumnus Dimos Dimitriadis, Ionion University, Corfu, Jazz Studies



Bottom Photo (right to left) Rory Stuart U.S. Fulbright Scholar to Greece-Iceland with alumnus and Fulbright Greece Outreach Ambassador Paschalis Nikolaou, Ionion University, Corfu, Foreign Languages, Translation and Interpreting