Spotlight on Alumni: Dr. Burgess Gardner

Trumpet virtuoso Burgess Gardner, also a composer and former educator, earned a bachelor’s degree in music education from Jackson State University, a master’s degree in educational administration and his Ph.D. in music at Michigan State University. He has played in bands of Count Basie, Horace Silver, and Louis Belleson. He has also played behind artists such as Nancy Wilson, Sammie Davis Jr., Etta James, Lou Rawls, and Sarah Vaughn. He currently directs and plays in an 18-piece “Burgess Gardner Orchestra” throughout Chicago.