BIOGRAPHY

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Dr. Jones currently holds the position of 3rd/Utility Clarinet with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra. He also serves as Executive Assistant for the KSO, working closely alongside Executive Director Jessica Mallow Gulley. He previously held the position of 2nd/Auxiliary Clarinet for the Waco Symphony Orchestra.

Dr. Jones regularly performs with the Ann Arbor, Flint, Dearborn, and Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestras. He has performed solo and chamber music recitals for non-profit organizations including the Tuesday Musicale Society in Detroit and the Thursday Musicale Society in Kalamazoo. As a passionate chamber musician, Garret is frequently sought after to collaborate with various chamber ensembles.

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An active educator and teaching artist, Dr. Jones served as interim clarinet faculty at Western Michigan University, teaching a thriving and ever-growing clarinet studio. He has performed with the Western Winds chamber ensemble, which incorporates a blend of faculty and student performers. He is in frequent demand as a recitalist and masterclass presenter throughout Michigan, and continues to build and maintain a private studio based in Kalamazoo.

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Dr. Jones holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Clarinet Performance (D.M.A.) from the University of Michigan, where he studied with Dan Gilbert and Chad Burrow. Garret also holds two Masters degrees from the University of Michigan in Clarinet Performance (M.M.) and Chamber Music (M.M.). He holds a Bachelor of Music Education (B.M.E.) at Baylor University, where he studied with clarinet with Dr. Richard Shanley and flute with Helen Ann Shanley. Additional teachers include Jun Qian, Dr. Vanguel Tangarov, and Alan Olson, Jerry Hull, and Shawn Riggins.

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Dr. Jones' summer activities have placed him in many cultural centers of the U.S. He has attended summer festivals such as the Texas Music Festival, the National Orchestral Institute, and the Chautauqua Institution. He has performed for many world-renowned artists and pedagogues including Greg Raden, Michael Webster, Paul Cigan, Yehuda Gilad, Ricardo Morales, Eli Eban, Diana Haskell, Anthony McGill, Elsa Verdehr, and Ralph Skiano.

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A native of Bedford, TX, Dr. Jones began his musical studies at the age of 12 where he played in his junior high school's beginning clarinet class and band. Throughout his pre-college years, his accomplishments included three-time consecutive placement into the Texas All-State ensembles, Assistant Principal Clarinet in the Youth Orchestra of Greater Fort Worth, consistent high honors at Solo/Ensemble contests, and multiple championships while participating in the L.D. Bell Band program. His junior high band program (Central Junior High School) was selected as the BBB Honor Band during his study there and performed at the annual Texas Music Educator's Association convention. He considers his beginning band teacher, Christine Belle-Cumberlidge, to be a prominent figure in shaping him as the musician that exists today.

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In addition to clarinet, Dr. Jones doubles on flute, saxophone, and oboe, and performs in pits for musicals whenever the opportunity becomes available. During his free time, he enjoys cooking, traveling, reading, and catching up with family back in Texas.

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