Gary Gibson
Based in Seattle, Gary Gibson is internationally acclaimed for his innovative work blending jazz, classical, and traditional Caribbean rhythms through instruments like the steel pan and vibraphone.
He achieved recognition as a member of the Exodus Steel Orchestra, winning Trinidad’s “Panorama National Steelband Championship” in 2004. Additionally, he earned 1st prize in two out of three categories at Trinidad’s “Symphony & Steel” orchestral composition competition.
Gibson has released multiple critically acclaimed albums showcasing his progressive original music featuring the steel pan.
Gibson has visited and worked with over 200 steel band programs nationwide, invited as a guest artist, adjudicator, and clinician.
His contributions include teaching roles at Cornish College of the Arts, involvement in the Jazz Port Townsend summer camp faculty, directing steel band programs for the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival, and leading school district steel bands in Kent and Edmonds. He also directed the steel band at the University of Washington.
In 2016, he founded Steel Magic Northwest, a vibrant nonprofit offering steel band programs for youth and adults in the Seattle area. The organization has grown to nearly 100 members and serves as a national model.
