Ed Orgill

Biography

Dr. Edward Orgill is an award-winning saxophonist whose distinguished career has encompassed performances throughout the United States and around the world in a wide variety of musical settings, ranging from symphony halls to jazz clubs. He has appeared as a featured soloist with ensembles including the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, and the Amherst Jazz Orchestra, and has shared the stage with renowned artists such as Dick Hyman, Paul Winter, Marian McPartland, Bob Wilber, Michael Brecker, Bob Mintzer, Ernie Watts, John Abercrombie, Marvin Stamm, and Carl Fontana.

Dr. Orgill has performed at prestigious venues and events including the North Sea Jazz Festival, the Montreux Jazz Festival, the International Association for Jazz Education Conference, and the International Society for Music Education World Conferences in Glasgow, Scotland, and Baku, Azerbaijan. His international performance experience also includes appearances aboard more than twenty cruise ships worldwide.

Equally at home in both jazz and classical traditions, Dr. Orgill's extensive performance experience includes master's and doctoral degree recitals, faculty recitals, chamber music performances, and appearances as both a sideman and bandleader. He has led and performed with ensembles such as the Wolf Pit Jazz Ensemble and the Wolf Pit Saxophone Quartet, earning recognition for his versatility, artistry, and commitment to musical excellence.

As a scholar, Dr. Orgill's doctoral dissertation examined the artistry and improvisational language of the influential mid-twentieth-century British jazz saxophonist Tubby Hayes through a descriptive analysis of original transcriptions of Hayes's performances. His research contributes to a deeper understanding of Hayes's significance within the history of jazz saxophone performance and pedagogy.

Education

  • DA, MM, MM, BA, AAS