Over the past 36 years, Gary Pratt has led a distinguished career as a music educator, performer, conductor, adjudicator and arranger, and co-directed CSUN’s renowned Jazz Studies Program. During his tenure as a member of the music faculty, he has served as chairman of the CSUN Wind Area and Director of Orchestras. In addition his private teaching schedule, Mr. Pratt teaches courses in jazz musicianship, directs the Studio and Lab Jazz Ensembles, jazz repertoire, jazz combos, and directs, composes, and arranges for "NuVeau," the University’s avant-garde jazz ensemble.
After such a long and storied career at CSUN, Mr. Pratt will be retiring at the end of the Spring 2019 semester. However, though he will no longer be teaching, his legacy will continue to have an impact on students through the Gary Pratt Jazz Studies Scholarship Fund, created through his generosity. In celebration of his incredible tenure at CSUN and the generations of Jazz musicians that he has helped grow and develop, we ask you to donate to this important scholarship fund, so that financial burdens placed on these students can be lessened, allowing for more of their time to be spent practicing and refining their art.
We also hope you will join us on Friday, March 29 in the Soraya at 7:30pm to celebrate Gary’s retirement with an amazing evening of music, featuring the Jazz “A” Band alongside the CSUN Symphony and the Wind Ensemble. Further information available here.