Gary Grundei: Permission All Day Long

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Gary & Rhonda talk about moving to NY later than the cliché expects, our first instruments, entrepreneurship, paying attention to the light, and so much more.  Please take a moment to share Past the Blue Mailbox with your friends, and be sure to follow on your favorite streaming service to be notified of new episodes!

Gary Grundei is a NYC-based award-winning musician and teacher. He is the founder of golden lotus studio, an online community for songwriters. He is most known for his work with the band High Fiction, for original compositions for theatre, film, podcasts, and the concert stage, and for coaching and producing other artists.

Recent projects include: sound design and original music for the 10-episode podcast on the secret origin story of Title IX called Feminist Files, starring Jodie Foster, Samira Wiley, Amy Hill, Leigh Fondakowski, and others; Bloody Mary Brunch, single with High Fiction; and Musical Direction for the Caregiver Cabaret GALA for the Parent Artist Advocacy League at A.R.T./New York Theatres.

Gary has written music for NPR, MTV, New York Stage and Film, The Kennedy Center, Ensemble Studio Theatre, the Magic Theatre, GALA Choruses, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, and the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. He has worked on projects with Meredith Monk, Bill Pullman, Leigh Fondakowski, Caitlyn FitzGerald, Barbara Dilley, and the Denver Broncos. He’s performed on stages from Carnegie Hall to Boettcher Concert Hall to Hollywood’s Hotel Cafe.

Gary has taught at Naropa University, Occidental College, University of Denver, Whitman College, The Ohio State University, and online through goldenlotusstudio.com.

High Fiction’s debut album to: whom it may concern has been described as “a collection of songs that are simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking, confident and vulnerable, ornate and airy.” The album, co-produced with David Wilton (A Boy + His Kite), features Ron Miles on trumpet, Janet Feder on guitar, and Matt Berninger of the National on guest vocals.

He has studied with Richard Toensing, Thomas Wells, Phil DeGreg, Hank Marr, Natalie Goldberg, Barbara Dilley, and Steve Reich.