Personnel

John Madden is in his 3rd season as Artistic Director and Conductor of the Savannah Wind Symphony. He is an American conductor, music educator, music arranger, educational clinician, and trumpet player. 

 

John is an Emeritus Professor of Music in the College of Music at Michigan State University, where he served on the faculty for 28 years (1989 to 2017). There, he served as the Conductor of the MSU Symphony Band, the Associate Director of Bands, and the Director of the famed Spartan Marching Band. Additionally, he taught advanced instrumental conducting at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Prior to coming to MSU, Madden served from 1987-1989 as Associate Director of Bands in the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. 

 

Madden’s awards and honors include receiving the Dortha J. and John D. Withrow Award for Excellence in Teaching, as awarded by his faculty peers, from the MSU College of Music in 2014. In 2008, John was inducted into the prestigious American Bandmasters Association. In 2016, he was awarded the distinction of “Yamaha Master Educator.” John is an active collaborator and maintains a guest-conducting schedule with school, university, community, and honor/all-state bands. He’s conducted throughout the United States, China, and across Central Europe.

 

Madden was born in New Jersey and grew up in the Metropolitan Detroit region of Michigan. He received his Master of Music Education (MME) and Master of Wind Conducting (MM) degrees from Wichita State University (KS) in 1987, where he served as a graduate teaching assistant in the University Bands area, and is a 1985 graduate of the Michigan State University College of Music, where he received his Bachelor of Music Education (BME) degree. To learn more about John, go to his personal website.

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