Tully Cathey

Classical Guitar, Music Theory, and Jazz Studies

Doctoral of Philosphy in Music (Composition) - University of Utah

Master of Music (Composition) - University of Utah

Bachelor of Science (Classical Guitar Performance) - Mannes College of Music

Tully Cathey is a performer, teacher and composer. Born in Baltimore in 1954, he grew up in Salt Lake City, where he began playing the guitar at the age of eight. He joined the Musicians Union at age 17, and has been a free-lance guitarist in a variety of genres since. In September of 2007 Tully inaugurated the new classical guitar program at the University of Utah with a solo recital including his own composition "Three Pieces for Guitar."

At the age of 21 Tully moved to Boston where he briefly attended Berklee College of Music, studying electric guitar, composition, chord-scale theory, advanced ear training and jazz transcription. Two years later he transferred to Mannes College of Music in New York City as a classical guitar major. While at Mannes (now part of The New School), he studied composition outside the school with Robert Beaser. He received the "Techniques of Music" Award (for theory, analysis and solfege) upon graduation at Mannes, with a Bachelor of Science degree in classical guitar performance. His guitar teachers were Leonid Bolotine, founder of the American Institute of Guitar, and the world-renowned virtuoso Eliot Fisk. Following graduation at Mannes in 1981, he studied composition at the Aspen Music School with Charles Jones.

Cathey holds a master's degree (1988) and Ph.D. (2002) in music composition from the University of Utah, where he studied with Bruce Reich, Steven Roens and Morris Rosenzweig. He lived for a year (1987-88) in Los Angeles, studying composition for film and TV at USC in the Advanced Studies Program: Composition for the Music Industry, while completing his master’s thesis, a concerto for guitar and chamber orchestra. While in LA he orchestrated an ABC movie of the week for composer Richard Bellis, noted ASCAP TV composer and teacher.

As a performer he is principally a guitarist, but has also performed on the mandolin and banjo. In September of 2002 he played banjo in the premiere of Gerald Elias's "Conversations with Essie" at the Moab Music Festival and guitar in Steve Reich's "Electric Counterpoint" for the Canyonlands New Music Ensemble at the University of Utah. In May of 2005, he was a banjo soloist with the Utah Symphony, Pavel Kogan conducting, in Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture." In May of 2008, he was the mandolin soloist with Utah Opera in Mozart's "Don Giovanni" and in October of 2008 played the guitar solos "3 Tentos" in Henze's "Kammermusik 1958" with the Nova Chamber Music Series in Salt Lake City. Most recently he played electric guitar in Bernstein’s “Mass” with the Utah Symphony, Keith Lockhart conducting, and off-stage classical guitar in Donizetti’s “Don Pasquale” with Utah Opera.

Cathey began his music theory teaching career in 1981 at Mannes, where he taught Basic Musicianship, Ear-Training, Dictation, and Theory in the Extension and Preparatory Divisions until his move to Utah in 1985 to pursue his master’s degree. He also taught Theory for two years in the College Division at Mannes, substituting for theorist David Gagne. At Mannes he studied Schenkerian analysis, and after graduation he studied this privately with David Loeb, composer and theorist. Cathey joined the adjunct theory faculty at the U of Utah in 1989, where he specialized in teaching chromatic traditional harmony and species counterpoint, for years using the Harmony and Voice Leading text by Aldwell and Schachter and Counterpoint in Composition by Salzer and Schachter, which he had learned at Mannes.

Cathey's composition catalog includes works ranging from solo harp to jazz orchestra works. As a composer he has collaborated with the Salt Lake Chamber Ensemble, the Modern Mandolin Quartet, Jazz Arts of the Mountain West, SLAJO (Salt Lake Alternative Jazz Orchestra) and the Abramyan String Quartet. As both performer and composer he has collaborated with the Nova Chamber Music Series, the Contemporary Music Consortium, the Utah Symphony and others. His work for large orchestra “Disposable City” was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize by the Utah Arts Festival in 1997. His suite "Elements," three movements of which were commissioned by Meet the Composer and the Modern Mandolin Quartet, was recorded on the D'Note label by the Modern Mandolin Quartet and released in 1998. His "Lines I for Strings," originally commissioned by the Intermountain Chamber Orchestra with Jeff Manookian, was performed in Appleton, Wisconsin by the Lawrence Chamber Orchestra with Robert Debbaut conducting, in April of 2005. His "Elements: IV. Water" for orchestra was performed in Guatemala City in 2004, and in Chicago, Illinois at Northwestern University in 2005 by conductor Robert Debbaut. "The Nightingale," for jazz orchestra, was premiered by SLAJO in 2004 and "Dreaming About Ear-Rock" was premiered by SLAJO in 2003. "Disposable City" was performed in 2003 in Ukraine and in Poland with Robert Debbaut conducting. "Motherchord," commissioned by the Barlow Endowment, was premiered by the Utah Symphony with Keith Lockhart conducting, in 2001.

Tully has composed extensively for Utah's public television station KUED. "AIDS: The Quiet Cost" received a Cindy Award in 1989, and "River of Stone: The Powell Expedition" received a Rocky Mountain Emmy Award in 1993. His scores for "A Desert Sea" and "Utah: a Portrait" were nominated for Rocky Mountain Emmys. He also composed the theme music for "Civic Dialogue" and the monumental "Utah: The Struggle for Statehood," produced by Ken Verdoia.

Tully is married to Maggie Laun, school counselor at Jackson Elementary School in Salt Lake City, and has a stepson Benjamin who is pursuing studies in aviation at Embry-Riddle in Arizona. Tully enjoys reading, hiking with Maggie, and bicycling in his spare time.