Stewart Forbes has been a professional musician and educator for almost 30 years and is jazz module leader at the University of Strathclyde’s famous BA in Applied Music course. Stewart is also musical director of SYJO – the Strathclyde Youth Jazz Orchestra and also runs the SYJO Jazz School.

As well as being a founder member of the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra, and artistic director of the Scottish Composers Jazz Ensemble, Stewart has appeared with most of the leading Scottish Orchestras such as the BBC SSO, Scottish Opera and RSNO.

In Jazz, Stewart has recorded and appeared with; The BBC Big Band (some tracks being released on CD – see ‘Recordings’) – Tony Bennett, Natalie Cole, Randy Crawford, George Shearing, Clark Terry, James Moody, Billy May and Kenny Wheeler. In 1992, Stewart was responsible for assembling and performing in a special Jazz Orchestra for the American composer Carla Bley, in ‘Birds of Paradise’- a World Premier Commission for the Glasgow International Jazz Festival.

In musical theatre, Stewart has performed in the professional tours of ‘Phantom of
the Opera, ‘Les Miserables’, ‘CATS’, ‘My Fair Lady’, ‘Singing’ in the Rain’, ‘42nd Street’, ‘Me and My Girl’, many more amateur shows.

Stewart’s solo debut album entitled ‘High Five’ was released in February 2010, and features the sensuous and vibrant sound of Stewart’s alto saxophone with
several prominent Scottish jazz pianists including David Newton.