Bob Garrett
Music/Composition
Chicago, IL
Bob Garrett is a Chicago-based musician, composer, and percussionist whose career spans theater, dance, global music, and experimental art. He was a percussion sub for the Chicago run of Hamilton, toured nationally with The Lion King for four years, and performed in the world premiere of Sting’s The Last Ship. He’s worked with directors such as Gary Griffin and Mary Zimmerman (Matchbox Magic Flute, Goodman Theatre), and played in the house band for Alan Parsons’ studio lecture series.
In the dance world, Bob has composed for and accompanied companies including Alvin Ailey, Urban Bush Women, Joe Goode, Hubbard Street, The Seldoms, and Ishti Collective. He has been a longtime accompanist with Columbia College Chicago’s Dance Department and has worked with choreographers like Randy Duncan, Carrie Hanson, and Liz Burritt.
Bob’s global music work includes tours with Trinity Irish Dancers and performances with Las Guitarras de España, Surabhi Ensemble, Vicente Griego, and Antonio Mesa Fernandez. He’s also performed at Lollapalooza with Glen Hansard and collaborated with Redmoon Theater, John Elmquist’s Hard Art Group, Anne Harris, and Chris Siebold.
As co-founder of Posterchild Art with Nadine Lollino, Co-founder of ESCP with Chihsuan Yang and collaborator with Surabhi Ensemble, Bob has presented works in Senegal, Vietnam, India, Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica and Europe.
Bob is currently focused on developing immersive sound-based projects that combine composition, live performance, and visual art. He’s also building a body of work around sound healing and scoring for film and video.