There are many roads artists can take when choosing to pursue a career in their chosen disciplines. Some teach. Some perform or showcase their work. Some find ways to bring the arts into the corporate world.
For Eddie Campbell (IM, ‘08), a graduate of Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) and Berklee College of Music, his passion for the guitar has led him to dabble in a variety of areas — from performing to instructing.
As a performer, Campbell said he has many proud moments and collaborations. He joined professional guitarist and former OCSA instructor Vasil Chekardzhikov to tour with the Orpheus Classical Guitar Ensemble in Los Angeles and at the Sydney Opera House in Australia. As part of this concert, Campbell’s mother Marlene Hall choreographed a dance performance to accompany the orchestra.
He has written, recorded and performed with The Astronots, an original rock band, with fellow alumna Allee Fütterer (IM, ‘09). He has also remained an active touring musician for the Music sur la Mer Orchestra, performing all over Europe at venues like the Mozarteum, Mirabell Gardens, Musikvierum, Salzburg Cathedral, and Spa de podebrady.
Most notably, Campbell performed Stanley Myers’ Cavatina, the notable theme song from the film The Deer Hunter, alongside the South Coast Youth Symphony Orchestra (SCYSO). Cavatina is considered to be a favorite of SCYSO artistic director and principal conductor, Maestro Rocky Lee, who was particular about selecting a guitarist to perform the piece. After waiting nearly 20 years for the right soloist for the, Lee met Campbell and knew he had found the best guitarist for the job.
“It was actually amazing because usually the guitar is an accompaniment to a singer or a part of the rhythm section, so it was pretty cool to be the featured instrument and just have this entire huge orchestra backing me up,” Campbell said.
At the start of the global pandemic and after years of performing and touring, like many artists, Campbell was forced to rethink how he could continue to pursue his passion as stages remained dark.
He began a project that he said was meant to keep him busy and improve his skills, focusing on a quote by famous American jazz guitarist, Joe Pass: “Guitarists should be able to pick up a guitar and play music on it for an hour, without a rhythm section or anything.”
Campbell was inspired and decided to design guitar curriculum, leading him to write and publish Pentatonic Logic’s Gig Series: Solo Jazz Guitar. He described the book as a full-course breakdown of how to train muscle memory and develop musical memory with shell voicings, allowing for ear-led improvisation and chord melody playing in a solo gig setting.
“I wanted to prepare myself for playing solo guitar, so that once this pandemic ended I could come back feeling refreshed and like I was productive for my own playing. It was just my own constructive way of getting better and then I made it a project to write the book so that I’m able to share those skills through it and through my teaching,” Campbell said.
While the arts world is finally beginning to open up again, Campbell has been teaching guitar lessons, providing nearly 50 students with the education they need to succeed as musicians.
Campbell said his OCSA experience and the instruction he received as a student helped prepare him for a future in the music industry, providing him with the confidence needed to succeed on his own as a musician and teacher.
“Getting to take that joy that I have when I play the guitar and share that with others — inspire them in the ways that I’ve been inspired by my teachers and peers — that’s pretty awesome,” Campbell said.
Up next: Campbell plans to begin the exciting venture of opening up his own music store. He said he also hopes to collaborate with Hall to include dance in his store, featuring The Hall Method for body conditioning and injury prevention for dancers.