DR. KIRBY SHAW
KIRBY
SHAW
has
made
a
major
impact
in
choral
music
education
and
has
shared
his
musical
expertise
in
45
states,
Canada,
Australia,
the
Bahamas,
China,
Germany,
Hungary,
Italy,
Spain,
Switzerland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Poland, Latvia, and the Philippines.
Kirby
has
degrees
in
Music
Education
and
Choral
Composition
from
San
Jose
State
University
and
a
DMA
degree
in
Choral
Conducting
from
the
University
of
Washington.
Dr.
Shaw’s
teaching
is
infused
with
a
sense
of
humor
and
breadth
of
knowledge
that
is
transmitted
in
an
exciting
and
highly contagious manner.
Kirby
taught
in
the
Mt.
Shasta
public
schools
before
joining
the
faculty
at
College
of
the
Siskiyous
in
California
where
he
founded
and
directed
the
innovative
and
highly
acclaimed
COS
Vocal
Jazz
Ensemble.
He
also
pioneered
similar
groups
at
Colorado
State
University
and
The
University
of
Missouri
-
Kansas
City,
and
is
now
directing
the
Jefferson
State
Choral
Coalition
in
Ashland,
Oregon.
Kirby
has
scatted
one-on-one
with
such
notables
as
Bobby
McFerrin,
Al
Jarreau,
Jon
Hendricks
(who
once
told
Kirby
.
.
.
“Man,
you
don’t
make
mistakes!”),
Mark
Murphy,
Greta
Matassa,
and
Chris Calloway.
He
has
overseen
the
creation
of
hundreds
of
educational
recordings,
five
college
and
university
albums and two solo CDs.
Kirby is a member of Just 4 Kicks, a zany 4-man a cappella vocal ensemble specializing in Jazz.
A
composer/arranger
with
nearly
3000
choral
compositions/arrangements
in
print,
Kirby’s
music
is
sung
around
the
world
and
has
sold
over
20
million
copies.
He
has
many
commissioned
pieces
to
his
credit,
including
one
for
The
Mormon
Tabernacle
Choir.
This
creative
and
prolific
output
has
resulted in numerous ASCAP awards.
In
2009,
Dr.
Shaw
was
invited
to
New
York’s
Carnegie
Hall
to
conduct
a
performance
of
his
choral
music.
Singers
traveled
from
around
the
world
to
participate.
The
180-member
choir
experienced
a
memorable
performance
that
included
the
audience
enthusiastically
scatting
along
with
Kirby
and
an extended standing ovation.
Kirby
and
his
wife,
Markita
have
written
an
original
musical
based
on
Charles
Dickens’
A
Christmas
Carol
entitled SCROOGICAL, soon to be presented at a quality theater near you!
Kirby,
Markita,
and
their
foofy-newfie/border
collie
mix,
Tux,
live
in
a
forest
high
above
Southern
Oregon’s Rogue Valley.
Photo by Judith Pavlik
Copyright © 2023 Kirby Shaw Music-All Rights Reserved.