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George Thurgood is a composer, pianist, and teacher who has been active for many yaers in both classical and jazz music. He studied for two years at Berklee College of Music in Boston and, after working in rock and jazz bands and studying science and philosophy at the University of Toronto, he entered the Faculty of Music of the University of Toronto. He studied piano with Reginald Godden and Antonin Kubalek and composition with Derek Holman and Talivaldis Kenins and obtained an M.A. in Musicology. He worked as a solo pianist, organist, and teacher of both university students and children, was a founding member of the new music organization Continuum,and became a member of the faculty of the Royal Conservatory of Music in 1990. He has been Chairman of the Theory Department and teaches jazz and classical piano, theoretical subjects, and music history. Recent musical activities incude solo piano concerts of jazz standards, transcriptions, and original compositions, freelancing, and a CD project with saxophonist Bruce Redstone.