Steve Anderson
Steve Anderson was associated with the Brubeck Institute beginning in 2000 when he came to the University of the Pacific as dean of the Conservatory of Music. This was the same year that the Brubeck Institute was established to honor its distinguished alumni, Dave and Iola Brubeck. He served as dean and on the Institute's Advisory Board from 2000 to 2007, and as chairman of the Board from 2005 to 2007. He became acting director of the Institute in 2005 and in 2007 became the permanent director, stepping down as dean. He served in this role until his retirement in 2011. During his administration of the Institute, Anderson produced the annual Brubeck Festival, administered the Fellowship Program, Summer Jazz Colony, and the Outreach Program.
Brubeck festivals focus on themes related to Dave Brubeck's music, ideas, and accomplishments. Anderson produced festivals with themes of The Times of Dave Brubeck, Words with Music, The Real Ambassadors - focusing on cultural diplomacy, The Revolution Continues - focusing on 1959 and Time Out, Jazz Education, and Creativity. The Summer Jazz Colony has become one of the country's premier high quality experiences for high school jazz musicians. The students in the Fellowship Program performed extensively throughout the United States and beyond, won twelve DownBeat magazine awards, including the award for the best collegiate jazz group in 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2011, and recorded seven CDs under his leadership. Anderson also produced five residencies of Russian jazz musicians with grants from the Library of Congress Open World Program.
Prior to coming to Pacific, Anderson was with the University of Kansas for 23 years where he served as professor of trombone and chairman of the Department of Music & Dance. He has also held teaching positions at Louisiana State University and the Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw, Poland. He holds a B.M. in music education from Southwestern College in Kansas, an M.M. in trombone performance from Louisiana State University, and a D.M.A. in trombone performance from the University of Oklahoma. He was named a Distinguished Alumni Fellow by the University of Oklahoma in 1997. Anderson is a member of numerous professional music societies and organizations, and served as a visiting evaluator for accreditation for the National Association of Schools of Music.