Andrew Legg
Encyclopedia
Southern Gospel Choir
The Southern Gospel Choir is a gospel choir based at the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music in Hobart, Tasmania, and is directed by Dr. Andrew Legg.The choir and its band, the Very Righteous Gospel Band were formed by Dr...
, which he runs through the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music
Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music
The Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music forms part of the faculty of Arts at the University of Tasmania. It is a music training institution with courses and specializations in classical and contemporary music, music education, technology and composition....
. He is head of contemporary music at the Conservatorium, as well as a contemporary piano & keyboard tutor. He is also Director of Music at St Clements Anglican Church, Kingston.
Dr. Legg is trained as a classical pianist, composer and teacher but is best known for his work in contemporary music, especially gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
, soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
.
The Southern Gospel Choir and Dr. Legg have received much acclaim both statewide, nationally, and internationally with leading gospel artists in the USA. Legg has worked with many prominent US gospel artists including Myron Butler
Myron Butler
Myron Butler is a Grammy award winning record producer, singer-songwriter, music director, vocalist, organist, and pianist. Most notably, he is known as the leader of the gospel choir, Myron Butler & Levi...
, Kirk Franklin
Kirk Franklin
Kirk Dwayne Franklin is an American Gospel music musician, choir director, and author, and is most notably known for leading urban contemporary gospel choirs such as The Family, God's Property and One Nation Crew .- Early years :...
, Dr. Horace Boyer, Marvin Weatherford and Xanielle Davis. He has undertaken postgraduate studies at the Tuskegee Institute and the Martin Luther King University examining African-American history and the growth of gospel music
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
. He gained his PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in 2008.
The Southern Gospel Choir
Dr. Legg formed the Southern Gospel Choir and the "Very Righteous Gospel Band" in 2000, soon after becoming a staff member at the Conservatorium.The Very Righteous Gospel Band includes:
Alistair Dobson (saxophone)
Steve Marskell (drums)
Randal Muir (Hammond organ)
Kelly Ottaway (keyboards)
Bob Tolputt (bass guitar)
Other Groups
Legg is also known as a member of HobartHobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
bands The Giant Hamsters and the Conservatorium's "Ensemble In Residence" iCon, in which he plays piano and Rhodes
Rhodes piano
The Rhodes piano is an electro-mechanical piano, invented by Harold Rhodes during the fifties and later manufactured in a number of models, first in collaboration with Fender and after 1965 by CBS....
. iCon includes fellow Conservatorium lecturers & tutors Alistair Dobson (saxophone) and Kelly Ottaway (vibraphone
Vibraphone
The vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family....
), as well as Randal Muir (Hammond organ
Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
) and Steve Marskell (drums).
Contribution to the Conservatorium of Music
Dr. Legg has contributed greatly, working with other staff members, in bringing about many changes and improvements to the contemporary stream of courses at the Conservatorium.Discography
- 1995: Solo album Spark In The Dark
- 2005: Great Day with The Southern Gospel Choir
- 2009: High On a Mountain with The Southern Gospel Choir