Over 50 years of professional music experience.

Gary A. Edwards was born in Spokane, Washington in 1941. He started playing string bass in the Spokane Symphony orchestra at age 18. He graduated from Coeur d’Alene High School in 1959. Gary graduated from Indiana University in June, 1964 with a degree in Music Education.

Gary taught public school teacher instrumental music from the 3rd to the 9th grades for two years and played bass in the Louisville Symphony Orchestra.

Since 1956, Gary has performed in bands of all sizes from single to symphony and all styles from opera to rock and country to classical and choral, with musical comedy orchestral experience.

Gary has composed in most styles including classical, rock, country, children's, jazz, choral, gospel, Christmas Cantata Night of a Miracle and a complete musical comedy, The Bureau-rats. He has written five other books and had thirty-seven articles published in computer magazines, primarily software reviews. His Waltz and Variations in E Minor for the accordion is published by JanPress.

He has signed numerous publishing contracts for classical, rock, country and religious music. His music has received air play in Washington, Idaho and Estonia. His classical piece The Cowboys was performed in concerts by the North Idaho College Band in May, 2000 and the Ensamble Rosario in Rosario, Argentina in August, 2001. His Happy Mother’s Day and Peace Be With You SATB choral piece and other serious and gospel choral pieces have been performed by different church choirs. His Gypsy Tango for String Trio premiered at a performance at the North Idaho Art on The Green festival on August 4, 2002 and was recorded and performed in St. Petersburg, Russia by the Nevsky String Trio.

His Coeur d’Alene Suite, a 30 minute piece for string orchestra, was recorded in April 2005 and performed by the Coeur d’Alene High School String Orchestra on May 19, 2005. The Spirit of the Vikings March was premiered by the Coeur d’Alene high School Wind Ensemble on May 18th, 2006.  Gary conducted his most recent work, Prayer for Peace with The Coeur d’Alene Symphony Orchestra premiered 12/2/2006 at North Idaho College in Coeur d’Alene. He was commissioned to write a just completed work for the Coeur d’Alene Youth Symphony titled Fanfare and Fantasy to be premiered in the spring of 2007. Another work just completed is The Fort Sherman Suite; a day in the life of a soldier in 1885 (8:30 minutes), to be premiered in spring 2007 by the Fort Sherman Symphonette, along with a companion piece The Fort Sherman March for military brass band. Two choral pieces Peace Be With You and God Is Everywhere will be performed by the Northwest Sacred Music Choral in their spring 2007 concert.

Gary's musical The Friendly Enemy is about a couple's harrowing experiences involving the wife and baby escaping from the Soviet Army's advance on Hungary and the husband's miraculous escape from death in combat and as a Prisoner of War in Russia, their persistent love and courage and final reunification.  He also converted this play into an OPERA.  A MUSICAL version premiered on stage April 14 through 20th,  2008 at the Spokane Community College and on CMTV Channel 14 in Spokane on June 2nd, 2008.

He has released five CDs including The Coeur d’Alene Suite (classical string orchestra), Cast Out The Demons (R&B style contemporary gospel), Gary’s Country, TroubleClef, a rock CD Gary’s Classical and formed Edwards Music Publishing.com company which primarily releases his music. 

Email : gedward@roadrunner.com