Home > College of the Arts > Department of Music

David Springfield
Jazz

Send e-mail.

David Springfield, Instructor of Jazz Studies at Valdosta State University, teaches jazz piano, improvisation, arranging, combos, jazz history and applied trombone. He is also a member of the Faculty Jazz Combo. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Trombone Performance and a Master of Music in Jazz Studies, both from the Eastman School of Music. His principal teachers were Rayburn Wright, Bill Dobbins and Fred Sturm (jazz) and John Marcellus (trombone). He has previously been a faculty member at Eastman, Aarhus University (Denmark), Georgia Southern University and Armstrong Atlantic State University.

Mr. Springfield is an active performer both as a pianist and trombonist. He has performed with jazz artists Randy Brecker, Clark Terry, Lee Konitz, Jerry Bergonzi and Gary Bartz. He has appeared with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and the Savannah, Charleston and Jacksonville Symphony Orchestras. His international performing experience includes three tours of Japan with the Eastman Wind Ensemble and a production West Side Story in Europe. He was a member of Klüvers Big Band in Aarhus, Denmark and performs with the Savannah Jazz Orchestra and Jazz Composer's Octet. Mr. Springfield is a member of IAJE and has appeared with the Georgia Jazz Educators Big Band at the annual GMEA conferences.

Mr. Springfield has had his compositions and arrangements performed by such artists as Branford Marsalis, John Abercrombie, Phil Woods, Allen Vizzuti and Joe Alessi. He received a Downbeat magazine award for arranging and was a finalist in the 1996 International Thad Jones Competition, sponsored by the Danish Radio Jazz Orchestra. He is the principal arranger for Klüvers Big Band and his works appear on seven recordings by the band. In addition to his work as a jazz arranger, Mr. Springfield has written for concert band, symphony orchestra, brass quintet and trombone choir. His music has been performed throughout the United States and Europe and is published by Kendor Music and UNC Jazz Press.