Dr. Geoffrey Haydon

Dr. Geoffrey Haydon has successfully bridged both classical and jazz styles of performance. Known as a classical and jazz artist, he has received rave reviews in his solo, chamber, and concerto performances given throughout the USA, in Europe, Russia, China, Japan, South America, and Central America. He has most recently performed with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and such world-famous artists as Joan Rivers and Il Divo. He is also a member of the Haydon/Parker Duo, Joe Gransden Big Band, and Georgia State University Faculty Jazztet. He has performed with well-known jazz artists such as Eddie Daniels, Randy Brecker, Joe Henderson, Gordon Goodwin, Eddie Gomez, Bobby McFerrin, Bob Mintzer, Bill Watrous, Jerry Weldon, Randy Brecker, Ndugu Chancler, Conrad Herwig, and Hal Crook. Dr. Haydon has performed with Broadway shows including The Phantom of the Opera, The King and I, The Producers, Hairspray, Sister Act, Sophisticated Ladies and Grease. Dr. Haydon can be heard on Gershwin Plus – Piano Solos and Novelty Arrangements, a solo piano CD of George Gershwin’s music, Cabin Fever, a jazz CD by the McLean-Haydon Jazz Quartet, and My Foolish Heart and Reunion, two jazz piano/vibraphone CDs by the Haydon/Parker Duo. All CD’s are available on the ACA Digital label and Albany Records.

Dr. Haydon is in demand as a clinician and adjudicator. He has numerous publications with Alfred Publishing, Stipes Publishing and is co-author of Jazz History Overview, a textbook by Kendall Hunt Publishing. Beginning Jazz, a book of Dr. Haydon’s jazz piano compositions, is published by Lee Roberts Publications. Both include MIDI accompaniment tracks available on CD. In collaboration with James Lyke, Dr. Haydon has written Creative Piano Teaching, a piano pedagogy textbook and co-arranged American popular songs for solo piano, two piano and duet piano. These arrangements are published by Lee Roberts Publications (distributed by Hal Leonard Publications) and Alfred Music Publishing. Dr. Haydon has articles published in Clavier Companion and reviews appearing in American Music Teacher. He has developed an impressive reputation as someone with a high level of expertise using technology in the areas of performance, composition, arranging, and pedagogy. Giving workshops and clinics around the world, Dr. Haydon is an artist/clinician with RolandUS. Currently, Dr. Haydon coordinates the piano faculty at Georgia State University where he teaches applied piano, piano pedagogy, jazz history, and jazz theory. Dr. Haydon received his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Richmond and studied three summers at the Aspen Music Festival. He received his Master and Doctorate of Musical Arts degrees from the University of Texas at Austin where he studied with Nancy Garrett and Gregory Allen.