Originally from the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas, Dr. Garret Jones maintains an active career in nonprofit arts leadership and as an orchestral and chamber musician in southwest Michigan. Prior to his current role as the Executive Director for the Stulberg International String Competition, he served in senior leadership for the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra (KSO) and worked closely with its Board of Directors. He is a tenured contract musician with the KSO as Clarinet 3/Utility and is frequently invited to perform with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra as well as other regional orchestras in Michigan. He currently serves on the executive board for the Crescendo Academy of Music as Co-Treasurer.
Dr. Jones previously served as Second/Auxiliary Clarinet for the Waco Symphony Orchestra and has been a regular finalist in national orchestral auditions. He previously served on faculty at Western Michigan University and has also served as a teaching artist at the University of Michigan’s MPulse Clarinet Institute. An active chamber musician and organizer, Dr. Jones is frequently sought out as a collaborator for projects and performances within the community and abroad. He continues to advance projects and opportunities for his local community chamber music society in the Kalamazoo area.
Dr. Jones holds a Doctor of Musical Arts and two Master of Music degrees in Clarinet Performance and Chamber Music from the University of Michigan, and he earned a Bachelor of Music Education from Baylor University. Dr. Jones has participated in renowned summer festivals such as the Texas Music Festival, the National Orchestral Institute, and the Chautauqua Institution. He most recently performed with the national tour of WICKED for residencies in East Lansing and Detroit. He can be heard on broadcasts by the WQXR (New York) and WMUK (Michigan) radio stations and is featured on Naxos Records albums.
Dr. Jones currently resides in Kalamazoo with his husband, Kory, and their two cats and two dogs.
