GEORGE FARMER (1944 – 2010) was a product of the Hillsborough County Public School System in Tampa, Florida. Upon graduating from high school in 1963, he entered the University of Tampa as a music student and remained there until he was drafted into the U.S. military in 1965. Farmer remembers that day vividly, as he was drafted on his 21st birthday. Two weeks before his battery departed for Vietnam, he won a talent show representing his “Bravo” battery at Fort Still, Oklahoma, performing one of his own piano compositions. The following day, Specialist 4 Farmer received a visit from Warrant Officer Flewell—a visit that perhaps saved Farmer’s life. Farmer became a member of the 77th Army Band, remaining at Fort Still until his honorable discharge in 1967.
Mr. Farmer returned to his formal studies following his military obligation. He received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music Education from the Oklahoma College of Liberal Arts, Chickasha, Oklahoma, in 1972.
Graduating as “Most Talented,” Farmer performed one of his original compositions at the graduation ceremonies. He continued his music studies at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, where he received a Master’s in Music Education and Piano Performance.
As a professional educator, Mr. Farmer was in high demand as a clinician and adjudicator. Farmer served as District Chairman for the Florida Bandmasters Association and Chairman of the Sight-Reading Committee for the association. He also served as an adjudicator of the F.B.A. for the past 25 years. His band and orchestra programs won national recognition at various festivals and consistently earned superior ratings at district and state music festivals. Under Farmer’s direction, the Hillsborough High School Band played for President Clinton when he visited Tampa in 1996. Farmer’s marching bands performed at various NFL games featuring the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs, and the San Diego Chargers.
Mr. Farmer began composing for the band idiom following the events of September 11, 2001. He composed When Angels Weep for those who lost their lives in the World Trade Center and for all those who perished that day. The Midwest Winds performed this haunting piece at the opening of the Kansas State Music Educators Convention in 2006. Farmer wrote several other concert band compositions, many of which are published by Daehn Publications.
Mr. Farmer’s music has been played by many all-state bands, and two of his compositions, The Silent Hills of My Childhood and Whispers from the Heart, were named as Editors’ Choice awards by music distributor J.W. Pepper. His compositions have been premiered by prestigious groups including the University of South Florida Symphony Band and Wind Ensemble under the direction of Dr. Michael Robinson, and the Western Kentucky University Symphonic Band, under the direction of Dr. John Carmichael.
Midwest Winds performed a concert dedicated to Farmer’s music during its fifth concert season in March 2007.
Midwest Winds 