Before joining the Music Department at Concordia College, Dr. Gregory Hamilton was the Executant Senior Lecturer of Cello at the University of Otago in New Zealand. Prior to this, he taught at Illinois State University for ten years where he was a founding member of the Ricard Piano Trio. While in New Zealand, Greg made many solo appearances and was frequently heard on Concert-FM Radio New Zealand broadcasts, the Otago Daily Times calling him a “master of the instrument.” He also served as president of the String Teachers Association of New Zealand Aotearoa and was a national adjudicator for the Chamber Music New Zealand competition.
Dr. Hamilton is a former member of the Columbus (Ohio) Symphony and has toured and recorded as a part-time member of the Houston Symphony. Highlights from his extensive international travels include working with underprivileged children in Argentina, appearing on live broadcasts on German Public Radio of Cologne, teaching at the Seville Conservatory in Spain, participating in the William Pleeth masterclasses at the Aldeburgh Festival, and performing chamber music at the Festival dei due Mondi (Italy) and Canterbury Music Festival (England). He also served as principal cello of the Spoleto Festival Orchestra.
He received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Kansas, which culminated in a lecture recital on the origins of cello literature and performance. Prior to this, he was a student of Bernard Greenhouse at Rutgers University, Raya Garbousova at Northern Illinois University, and Richard Kapuscinski at the Oberlin Conservatory. Current areas of research include a recent enthusiasm and passion for playing and teaching the double bass. In 2010, his solo CD, “The Hollywood Cello,” featuring works by film composers of the Golden Era, was released by Soundset Recordings and attracted considerable attention, including this review from Fanfare Magazine:
"A first-class release… Hamilton has cleverly assembled a program unlikely to duplicate anything in your collection. Many of these works have not been recorded before...buzz and sinew are what give his playing character. He plays these works with no shortage of expression and affection, and that goes far toward making this disc a first class release."
Fanfare Magazine | April 6, 2011