Garrett Gillingham, Piano

Garrett Gillingham grew up in Michigan and now resides in Cincinnati, Ohio. He comes from a very musical family, with his parents and sister all being classically trained musicians. Garrett's musical training began at a young age starting on the piano, progressing to percussion in junior high/high school, and then studying voice and composition during his college and graduate studies. He holds a BIS in Music Composition from Central Michigan University where he studied with his father, Dr. David Gillingham. He continued his study in music composition at Michigan State University with Dr. Jere Hutcheson and Dr. Mark Sullivan, earning a Masters in Music Composition. While at MSU, he also studied voice under award-winning tenor, Johnathan Riesen. From 2010 to the present, Garrett has also sung lead in a barbershop quartet, Ebb N' Flow. The quartet won the Pioneer District (Michigan and Ontario) championship in 2011, and also went on to represent the district at the Barbershop Harmony Society International competition in 2011, 2012, and 2013. Garrett Gillingham is primarily a freelance composer, having written for many classical ensembles, as well as over ten film scores, many of which have been selected at film festivals such as the Los Angeles Cinema Festival of Hollywood, the Traverse City International Film Festival, and the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. His teaching experience includes Delta College (University Center, MI) where he taught Piano I and II, as well as Jazz History. Additionally, he taught music technology, theory, and film music for several years at Central Michigan University's Summer Music Camp. Garrett prides himself in teaching with a laid back style, with a caring attitude and an emphasis of love instead of fear. In his spare time, he enjoys running and spending time with his parents' pug, Lily.