Henry Doskey, a native of New Orleans, began his musical studies with famed composer and pedagogue William Gillock in the mid-1950's, and saw many Gillock works as they appeared in manuscript, even playing some before they were published. Thus began a teacher-student relationship and friendship that lasted over thirty-five years. The two maintained a vigorous correspondence even after Doskey left for university and Gillock moved to the Dallas area. Shortly before his death in 1993, Gillock designated Doskey "the authoritative interpreter and judge of authenticity of stylistic treatment" in his music.
In New Orleans Doskey also studied with Jane Bastien, then Jane Smisor, at the Newcombe College Preparatory Department, and also had lessons with James Bastien. It was through James Bastien's influence that Doskey chose Southern Methodist University as his undergraduate school. He holds both the Bachelor's and Master's degrees from SMU in Piano Performance; his teachers there included John Price and Alexander Uninsky. Doskey received the Doctor of Music in Piano Performance in 1982 from Indiana University, where he studied with Sidney Foster, Gyorgy Sebok, Jorge Bolet, and, ultimately, Menahem Pressler. He also served as Special Teaching Assistant to both Foster and Pressler, the only graduate teaching assistant in the history of IU to be so honored.
Dr. Doskey began his full-time teaching career at Wisconsin State University at Whitewater (now UW-W), and eventually moved to North Carolina to join the Artist Faculty of the East Carolina University School of Music, in 1976. During his long and distinguished teaching career there, his students were frequent recipients of honors at all levels, including those bestowed by the North Carolina Symphony, the North Carolina Music Teachers Association, and Music Teachers National Association. He taught piano, chamber music, Piano Literature, and a course of his own invention, "Keyboard Skills for Piano Majors". His college students have gone on to graduate programs at such prestigious schools of music as the University of Oklahoma, Indiana University, the Eastman School, and the University of Maryland; his high school students have been admitted to the Juilliard School and The Curtis Institute of Music, among others. Many of his students have continued his tradition of excellent teaching in university positions and in private studios.
Henry Doskey is the recipient of many awards, including the Sorantin Award (San Angelo, TX Symphony Orchestra), the Dealey Award (Dallas Symphony Orchestra), and the Musical Arts Award presented by the Society of American Musicians, Chicago, which resulted in his successful performance on the prestigious Allied Arts Piano Series in Orchestra Hall. He was also honored as the recipient of the 1998 Robert and Lina Mays Award for Teaching Excellence, presented by the ECU Alumni Association. He has performed thoughout the US as a soloist, recitalist and also as an accompanist and ensemble pianist; his New York solo debut was in 1978. He recently appeared as soloist in the Beethoven Fourth Piano Concerto with the U.S. Army Orchestra at Fort Myer, Arlington, VA. In the Orient, he was invited for both a recital and a master class at the Central Conservatory of Beijing, PRC, and he has twice visited Tokyo on the invitation of the Piano Teachers Music Guild, and presented a series of Gillock-related events, including an all-Gillock Lecture Recital and a series of master classes and private lessons.
Since his retirement from East Carolina University in 2010, Dr. Doskey has devoted himself to performing, private coachings, and writing on musical subjects. An avid student of cinema, his article "Beethoven Goes To Hollywood", devoted to piano composers on film, appeared in the Nov.-Dec., 2012, issue of Clavier Companion.
Some Gillock Workshop Topics that have proven popular:
- The Lyric Preludes and Their Use as a Tool to Develop Long-Range Listening
- The Gillock World Tour:
Using the Solos of William Gillock to Teach World Music Styles
- The Influence of the Impressionist Composers on the Music of William Gillock
For more information on scheduling a Gillock workshop or concert, or a masterclass or piano recital in your area, contact Dr. Henry Doskey through: Green Mill Recordings: greenmill@suddenlink.net