JEFFREY MCCRAY

Jeffrey McCray, Praised for his “superb” and “very expressive playing,” Jeffrey McCray is Instructor of Bassoon and Music Theory at Metropolitan State University of Denver, and he is Instructor of Bassoon at Colorado Mesa University and Chadron State College in Nebraska. In addition, he serves as Third/Utility Bassoon of the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, Principal Bassoon of the Lincoln (NE) Symphony Orchestra, and Principal Bassoon of the Grand Junction (CO) Symphony Orchestra.

From 2006 to 2019, Dr. McCray was on the faculty in the Glenn Korff School of Music at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he attained the rank of Associate Professor. He has also served on the faculties of Baylor University, Western Michigan University, Albion College, and the University of Michigan-Flint. He has held positions with the
symphony orchestras of Sioux City (IA), Battle Creek (MI), Lansing (MI), Waco (TX),
Allentown (PA), and Haddonfield (NJ), and he has performed extensively with the
Minnesota Orchestra, Kansas City Symphony, Omaha Symphony, Opera Omaha, Grand Rapids (MI) Symphony, Windsor Symphony, Delaware Symphony, Opera Delaware, Harrisburg Symphony, and the Pennsylvania Ballet.

Dr. McCray earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Michigan State University, where he was a bassoon student of Michael Kroth. He holds a bachelor’s degree in bassoon performance and a master’s degree in orchestral conducting from Northwestern University, where he studied with Robert Barris and Victor Yampolsky. Additionally, he studied with Bernard Garfield, former principal bassoonist of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and earned a master’s degree in bassoon performance from Temple University.

Dr. McCray has appeared both as bassoonist and conductor in concerts of new music throughout the United States. Performances of note include numerous appearances at the annual conferences of the International Double Reed Society; World Premieres of All the Difference by John Steinmetz and OK Quintet by Scott McAllister with the Moran Woodwind Quintet; conducting the World Premiere of Daniel Baldwin’s Concerto for Contrabassoon and Strings with soloist Lewis Lipnick (contrabassoonist of the National Symphony Orchestra); and conducting the North American premiere of Culture! Culture! by Robert Owens with UNL Opera.