Stuart Dempster

Stuart Dempster, sound gatherer, trombonist, composer, didjeriduist, et al. and professor emeritus at University of Washington, has recorded for numerous labels including, more recently, Important, Taiga, Mode, New Albion Records, New World Records, and Deep Listening. New Albion releases include In the Great Abbey of Clement VI at Avignon - a "cult classic" - and Underground Overlays from the Cistern Chapel consisting of music sources for a 1995 Merce Cunningham Dance Company commission. Dempster’s early career include commissioning solo works for trombone that included such composers as Luciano Berio, Neely Bruce, Barney Childs, Donald Erb, Robert Erickson, Ben Johnston, Andrew Imbrie, Ernst Krenek, Robert Moran, Pauline Oliveros, Robert Suderburg, and William O. Smith.


Dempster's grants are several, including being a Fulbright Scholar to Australia in 1973 and receiving a Guggenheim Fellowship in1981. Dempster’s landmark book The Modern Trombone: A Definition of Its Idioms was published in 1979 with a reprint in 1994*. His recognitions include two Golden Ear Awards: Deep Listening 2006 and Earshot Jazz 2009; and International Trombone Association Lifetime Achievement Award 2010. As a founding member of Deep Listening Band, he produced the first three recordings as well as three most recent recordings, including Great Howl at Town Haul CD and two LP projects from the January 2011 DLB residency at Town Hall Seattle, with major support by UW School of Music and DXARTS. DLB celebrated its 25th year on 5 October 2013 with Dunrobin Sonic Gems a spectacular concert near Ottawa in the amazing "Dunrobin Sonic Gym" (think five foot gongs!).


*The Modern Trombone (book w/ CD) is available through Accura Music at
AccuraMusic.com