Michael Oare
Michael Oare (b. 1960) earned his undergraduate degrees in Music Composition and Music Education from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. A veteran music educator, Mr. Oare is also an accomplished composer, arranger, performer, conductor, and adjudicator. His compositions, especially those for young bands, are widely published, with two works, To Dream in Brushstrokes and Equilibrium, featured in the acclaimed Teaching Music Through Performance series by GIA Publications. His most recent compositions are published by Hal Leonard, with his work appearing in several major publishing catalogs.
Mr. Oare served as the Director of Bands at Great Bridge Middle School in Chesapeake, Virginia, for 33 years. Under his leadership, the GBMS Bands consistently received superior ratings in the Virginia Concert Band Performance Assessment, achieving straight superior ratings performing grade 3 and 4 literature for 32 of his 33 years, including the last 30 consecutive years. The GBMS Band also performed at the Virginia Music Educators Association Conference on four occasions.
In 2015, Mr. Oare was appointed conductor of the Bay Youth Concert Band, serving students in grades 7-9 from southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. He maintains active memberships in state and national professional organizations, is a member of ASCAP and Phi Beta Mu and performs with the Virginia Wind Symphony. He has been recognized as the 2016 Chesapeake Public Schools' Middle School Teacher of the Year, a two-time recipient of the National Band Association's Citation of Excellence, and a multiple-year honoree in Who's Who Among America's Teachers.
Mr. Oare resides in Chesapeake, Virginia, and enjoys offshore fishing along the coasts of Virginia and North Carolina in his spare time.
