Biography

Dr. Marshall Jones is currently the Associate Minister of Worship and Music at First Lutheran Church in Colorado Springs responsible for directing handbell ensembles.

He was previously an Instructor of Music Theory at the University of Arkansas. Marshall previously taught at Flathead Valley Community College in Montana and has 17 years of experience as a church musician in Montana, Nebraska, Florida, and North Carolina. 

The experience of directing handbell choirs and the physical embodiment of the music as well as the interdependence of multiple performers playing one instrument, has left an impression on the music he composes. The physical embodiment in performance is an essential part of his music. He also continues to perform as a tenor, hornist, and pianist. 

Marshall was a finalist in the orchestral division of the American Prize in Composition in 2021. His work was described as a “carefully orchestrated sonic inner landscape” by one of the panelists. Marshall was also a finalist in both the vocal chamber and choral shorter works divisions in 2023. Marshall’s work has appeared on the Ablaze Records compilations Orchestral Masters Vol. 8 and Electronic Masters Vol. 9. Marshall’s works have been featured as part of the Impulse New Music Festival, Boston New Music Initiative’s Quarantune Snacks series, Oregon Bach Festival Composer’s Symposium, the Cortona Sessions for New Music, the Washington State University Electroacoustic Mini-Fest, and several regional SCI conferences. 

Marshall’s works have been performed by members of the JACK Quartet, the Semiosis Quartet, the Greater Cleveland Flute Society, the Glacier Symphony and Chorale, the Tallahassee Symphony, and more. 

Marshall holds degrees in composition from Florida State University and the University of South Florida. He also holds a degree in music education from the College of Wooster.