FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Indiana University Jacobs School of Music is pleased to announce the appointment of Joseph Galvin as assistant professor of music in jazz studies and Latin American and Caribbean music, effective Aug. 1.
Galvin is the inaugural appointee to this new tenure-track position, directing several Latin American ensembles in both folkloric and popular music styles and teaching applied lessons in Latin percussion. He was previously visiting lecturer in music in percussion at Jacobs.
“We are very pleased that Joe Galvin has accepted this newly created position at the Jacobs School,” said Abra Bush, David Henry Jacobs Bicentennial Dean. “His extensive experience and proficiency across multiple fields are exciting catalysts for our jazz and percussion departments, as well as our Latin American Music Center and school overall. Plus, our students already love him!”
“Joe Galvin brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise in Latin American music to the Jacobs School of Music,” said Tom Walsh, chair of the Jazz Studies Department. “He is a virtuoso performer on steelpan and numerous other percussion instruments. Dr. Galvin brings deep experience with music from Cuba and Trinidad and other Latin American cultures to his teaching of hand percussion, leading ensembles in steelpan, danzón and Afro-Cuban folkloric music, in addition to coaching the Latin Jazz Ensemble rhythm section. His work serves as a vital bridge between the Latin American Music Center, Percussion Department and Jazz Studies.”
A few of Galvin’s most noted appearances include as a featured soloist and ensemble member with the Aguavá New Music Group in 2005 at the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.; sharing the stage with steelpan virtuoso Liam Teague and marimbist Kevin Bobo; performing several times at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention; and presenting at the National Society of Steel Band Educators conference. He performed in Trinidad’s Panorama competition with the BP Renegades in 2013 and the PCS Nitrogen Silver Stars, directed by Liam Teague, in 2016.
Galvin earned his degrees from the Jacobs School of Music, culminating in a doctor of percussion performance degree with a focus on steelpan and Afro-Cuban percussion traditions under retired professor and master drummer Michael Spiro.
Galvin and Spiro’s most recent collaborations include a documentary on classic Cuban rumba, “Los Bandos: Rumba en Cazuela,” which was nominated for a 2021 Cubadisco Award for Best Musical Documentary. (The awards are the equivalent of the U.S. Grammys and Oscars combined.) They also created an in-depth method book on the musical traditions of the Arará Savalú community in Matanzas, Cuba.
Additionally, Galvin can be heard on two Grammy-nominated albums: the Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet’s “Intercambio” and Spiro and Wallace’s “Canto America” with La Orquesta Sinfonietta.
“The Jacobs School Percussion Department is especially thrilled by the appointment of the multifaceted Joe Galvin,” said Joseph Gramley, department chair. “The teaching, performance and research that he does here in Bloomington are stellar contributions to a comprehensive 21st-century program giving Jacobs students the experiences and skillsets they need for a lifetime of success in the arts.”