EDUCATION
• Bachelor of Music Composition – Chicago Conservatory of Music
• Post-Graduate Studies – American Conservatory of Music – Chicago, IL
• DePaul University – Chicago, IL
• Los Angeles Songwriter Showcase
• National Association of Songwriters
HONORS AND AWARDS
• Scholarship for Composition “IV Variations On A 12-Tone Theme”
Gregory James Gross has had a wide experience in the professional and educational areas of his career. He has been a working professional for over 25 years as a Composer, Arranger, Teacher, Songwriter, Musical Director, Pianist, Multi-Keyboardist, Session player and Producer.
Greg began teaching private students while working as a musician in Chicago, Illinois. After graduating with a degree in Music Composition from the Chicago Conservatory of Music, he studied jazz piano and theory with Willie Pickens at the American Conservatory of Music and jazz theory with Alan Swain at DePaul University. He then began working with the Baldwin Music Company teaching piano, organ and theory.
Greg moved to Los Angeles, California, where he began his career as a composer / songwriter for Feature Films, Television, Theater, and Commercials. He soon learned that besides the traditional skills of being a composer, creative knowledge of the computer, music software, and multi-keyboard setups was essential for the modern day film composer. Greg became an accomplished Sequencer / Programmer applying these techniques to music scoring and the syncing of music to picture.
With both a formal music education background and it’s practical use as a professional, Greg began teaching on the West Coast. He became an Associate Teacher with John Novello, acclaimed teacher and author of “The Contemporary Keyboardist”. The “Contemporary Keyboardist” course has received accolades from both musicians and composers; from different artists such as Chick Corea to Henry Mancini. It has also received great reviews as a teaching method in different articles from Downbeat and Keyboard Magazines, to name a few.
Along with private students, Greg is currently teaching piano, jazz, improvisation and songwriting courses in the Jazz, Rock, Pop department at the Leo-Borchard-Music school in Berlin, Germany. He is also the keyboardist in the “Sonne, Sterne und Mond”- musical presented by the Leo-Borchard-Music school, which has performed in the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, PA, the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, IL and which also performs every year in the Zeiss-Planetarium in Berlin.
For over 25 years, Greg’s insight and knowledge as an educator, has helped both beginners and working professionals on the road to success.
Some of the areas that Greg teaches include:
Ear Training, Technique, Improvisation, Repertoire, Musical Styles, Studio Playing, Harmony, Theory, Arranging, Composition, Songwriting, Film Composing, Dramatic Scoring Techniques, Music Software and Multi-Keyboard Setups.