In Conversation with Scott Stroman, Jazz Professor

Ahead of six-day Summer School Jazz & Rock Week, we caught up with Scott Stroman, Course Director and Jazz Professor at Guildhall School, to ask him some questions about the longest-running Summer School of 38 years, why it's so popular and from what famous jazz album participants will be playing this year, for the first time ever, after 20 years of trying.

Where are you at the moment?

In my garden studio in North London.

Your biography in a sentence 

I’m a conductor, composer, singer, trombonist and educator from a small town in Indiana, USA, who arrived in London, via Miami, in 1982 and has enjoyed the most eclectic of careers in music.

Can you give us one course highlight for Jazz & Rock Week? 

The final concert on Friday night! This is always the most amazing production, where we present a portion of the music we’ve created over the week, which is a wonderful three hours long! It goes by in a flash.

Three words to describe Jazz & Rock Week

Energising, enriching, encouraging. 

You’ve been running the course for a long time. Has there been any changes to the course over the years or have you seen any differences in the participants reasons for wanting to apply? 

Yes, 38 years; we thought we’d try it for a year or two and it just took off. It hasn’t changed very much except for updates in technology, as we’ve always had a great team who seemed to click from the very beginning.  It’s the mix of serious learning with a great vibe that keeps people coming – they just want to make music with like-minded others.

The course is always very popular and there are a huge variety of age ranges that take part every summer. From your experience, why do you think this is?

It’s the music, plain and simple. Age doesn’t matter when your ears are open. It’s a delight to discover what someone of a different age or from a totally different background can offer.

What would you say to someone thinking about doing the course, but might be feeling a bit nervous, especially if they haven’t performed with others before.

It’s a really encouraging place. Everyone is on their own journey, and wherever you are, you’ll find nothing but help and encouragement here.

You have a huge wealth of experience as a director, composer and performer of jazz, with roles including Music Director for the Globe Music Exchange and Artistic Advisor to the Escuela de Musica Municipal in La Coruña, Spain, as well as winning the BBC Big Band Contest six times, to name just a few of your achievements. What’s been your biggest career highlight to date?

Wow, that’s tough. I suppose getting to perform with some of my idols – Dizzy Gillespie, Billy Cobham, Randy Brecker – is what I should say, but to tell you the truth, I’m probably most proud of leading the London Jazz Orchestra, a collective of fantastic and creative musicians, for over 30 years.

Your favourite piece of jazz and/or rock music that you are listening to right now.  

Right now it’s Miles Davis’ Aura album from 1989 – it’s a concept album for jazz orchestra plus synths, tape, etc. and I’ve loved it ever since it was released. After 20 years of trying we’ve gotten hold of the music and we’re going to recreate it at Guildhall School in July!

Jazz & Rock Week participants, 2022

About Scott Stroman

Scott has been a Professor in the Jazz Department at Guildhall School of Music & Drama since 1983 and was made a Fellow of Guildhall School in 1988. US-born but long based in London, he is a composer, conductor, singer, trombonist and educator, and Director of the London Jazz Orchestra, Eclectic Voices, and Artistic Director of Highbury Opera Theatre (HOT). As a trombonist, singer and conductor he has performed with numerous jazz and world music artists including Youssou N’Dour, Goran Bregovich, Ramamani, Phil Collins, Billy Cobham, Dizzy Gillespie, Kenny Wheeler, Dave Liebman, Norma Winstone, Bobby Wellins and Rufus Reid. He conducts baroque to contemporary music with orchestras, choirs, and opera in the UK and Europe and directed the London Philharmonic Orchestra's innovative cross-genre Renga and Hit Squad ensembles.

He directed the first European performances of all of the Gil Evans - Miles Davis collaborations, created and directed new versions of Coltrane's Africa/Brass, Ellington's Second Sacred Concert and Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers Moanin’, and this season will direct the Guildhall Jazz Orchestra in the first live performance, since Miles Davis recorded it with the Danish Radio Orchestra in 1989, of Palle Mikkelborg's Aura.

A prolific composer, he has written numerous works for jazz ensemble, choir, orchestra, and the stage and recently premiered his second opera, The Weekend, based the book by Michael Palin. He received a BASCA gold badge award for services to music from the Ivors Academy in 2018.

Scott will lead Jazz & Rock Week from Sun 30 July– Fri 4 Aug.