Gordon W. Bowie
Encyclopedia
Gordon W. Bowie, bass trombonist, composer and conductor, is director of the Montgomery Village Community Band in Montgomery County, Maryland
. He is bass trombonist for the Virginia Grand Military Band, Legacy Brass and other DC area ensembles. In addition, for the 1999-2000 school year he served as band and orchestra director for St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes Schools in Alexandria, Virginia
.
Dr. Bowie was for many years Principal and Bass Trombonist of the Bangor Symphony Orchestra
, a post which he left in September, 1997, to relocate to the Washington, DC, area. In his position with the Bangor Symphony, he garnered more than thirty years' orchestral experience under four music directors and numerous guest conductors, playing the standard orchestral repertoire.
For the twelve years from 1985 through 1997 he was also Conductor of the Bangor Band, a semi-professional New England Town Band said to be the second oldest continuous community band in the nation. One hundred-thirty-eight years old in the summer of 1997, the Bangor Band under Dr. Bowie performed year around with a mixed repertoire including band classics, overtures and transcriptions as well as popular tunes, movies and show music, patriotic music and Dixieland. A specialty of the Bangor Band under Dr. Bowie was the music of R.B. Hall, Maine
's own march composer who was a contemporary of John Philip Sousa
.
Dr. Bowie holds a BA (Music) from Colby College
, MMED (Winds and Percussion) from the University of Colorado
, and Ph.D. (Music) from the University of Maine
, where the subject of his dissertation was R.B. Hall and the Community Bands of Maine. He has taught music and bands at all levels, elementary through college, including seven years at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, where he was band director. He was Trombone Instructor at the University of Maine at Augusta
during 1996 and 1997.
His many compositions include pieces for band, trombone, string orchestra, brass ensembles, and a large variety of other chamber music. He is a performing arts copyright specialist for the Library of Congress
, as well as founder of Serendipity Press, a publisher of brass and woodwind solo and ensemble music with nationwide distribution.
Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland, situated just to the north of Washington, D.C., and southwest of the city of Baltimore. It is one of the most affluent counties in the United States, and has the highest percentage of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate...
. He is bass trombonist for the Virginia Grand Military Band, Legacy Brass and other DC area ensembles. In addition, for the 1999-2000 school year he served as band and orchestra director for St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes Schools in Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
.
Dr. Bowie was for many years Principal and Bass Trombonist of the Bangor Symphony Orchestra
Bangor Symphony Orchestra
The Bangor Symphony Orchestra is the oldest continually-operating community orchestra in the United States. It was founded in 1896 by Abbie N. Garland and Horace M. Pullen, its first director, and has not missed a season since....
, a post which he left in September, 1997, to relocate to the Washington, DC, area. In his position with the Bangor Symphony, he garnered more than thirty years' orchestral experience under four music directors and numerous guest conductors, playing the standard orchestral repertoire.
For the twelve years from 1985 through 1997 he was also Conductor of the Bangor Band, a semi-professional New England Town Band said to be the second oldest continuous community band in the nation. One hundred-thirty-eight years old in the summer of 1997, the Bangor Band under Dr. Bowie performed year around with a mixed repertoire including band classics, overtures and transcriptions as well as popular tunes, movies and show music, patriotic music and Dixieland. A specialty of the Bangor Band under Dr. Bowie was the music of R.B. Hall, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
's own march composer who was a contemporary of John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era, known particularly for American military and patriotic marches. Because of his mastery of march composition, he is known as "The March King" or the "American March King" due to his British counterpart Kenneth J....
.
Dr. Bowie holds a BA (Music) from Colby College
Colby College
Colby College is a private liberal arts college located on Mayflower Hill in Waterville, Maine. Founded in 1813, it is the 12th-oldest independent liberal arts college in the United States...
, MMED (Winds and Percussion) from the University of Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
, and Ph.D. (Music) from the University of Maine
University of Maine
The University of Maine is a public research university located in Orono, Maine, United States. The university was established in 1865 as a land grant college and is referred to as the flagship university of the University of Maine System...
, where the subject of his dissertation was R.B. Hall and the Community Bands of Maine. He has taught music and bands at all levels, elementary through college, including seven years at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, where he was band director. He was Trombone Instructor at the University of Maine at Augusta
University of Maine at Augusta
The University of Maine at Augusta is located in the state capital of Augusta, Maine, and is a part of the University of Maine System. UMA is a regional state university providing baccalaureate and select associate degrees to meet the educational, economic and cultural needs of Central Maine...
during 1996 and 1997.
His many compositions include pieces for band, trombone, string orchestra, brass ensembles, and a large variety of other chamber music. He is a performing arts copyright specialist for the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
, as well as founder of Serendipity Press, a publisher of brass and woodwind solo and ensemble music with nationwide distribution.