Categories
20th Century Jamaican Swiss

RUSSELL, Oswald

Oswald Russell
Photograph of Oswald Russell courtesy of Music Unites Jamaica Foundation.

Born in Kingston, Aug 16, 19331
Died in Geneva, July 2, 20122

  • Russell was composer and pianist who utilized both classical and jazz styles. 
  • Russell studied at institutions including the Royal Academy of Music, the Julliard School, and the Geneva Conservatory. He taught at the Jamaica School of Music, the Institut Jacques-Dalcroze (Geneva), the Geneva Conservatory, the Kinshasa Conservatory in Zaire, and several other institutions. His teaching specialties were piano, keyboard harmony, and improvisation. 
  • Russell’s compositions include jazz works, liturgical music, and music for film, theater, or ballet.3

Biography from Music Unites Jamaica 

Sources

  1. Olive Lewin, “Russell, Oswald,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed April 1, 2022, Accessed 1 Apr. 2022. https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000044866.
  2. Danielle Russell and Paul Shaw, “Oswald Russell: The Man,” Music Unites Jamaica Foundation, accessed April 1, 2022, https://www.musicunitesjamaica.com/oswald-russell.html.
  3. Lewin, “Russell, Oswald,” Grove Music Online

Pieces