Gary Hallquist lives in Cary/Apex, North Carolina. He is Orchestra Director of Colonial Baptist Church in Cary, where he also serves as Director of The Studio, Colonial's music academy. In addition, Gary is an adjunct professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is married to the former Sherrell Ingram. They have three children: Kevin Hallquist, Virginia (Gini) Hallquist Young, Meredith Hallquist Peel; and four grandchildren: Livingstone (Stone) Gary Hallquist, Wyatt Cohen Young, Mercy Reese Young, and Martha Claire Peel.
Gary completed a Doctor of Worship Studies degree from the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies in Jacksonville, Florida in June 2007. He holds a Master of Theological Studies from Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Alabama, a Master of Music degree in clarinet performance from North Texas State University in Denton, Texas; and a Bachelor of Music Education from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Gary was Assistant Professor of Worship Ministries at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary for four-and-a-half years. He has served as Minister of Music and Music Associate at a number of churches in North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Louisiana. He is a widely published composer of church choral music, an arranger, orchestrator, engraver, and recording artist who plays the saxophone, clarinet, and flute.
Gary was the lead alto sax on Lou Marini’s big band that recorded the album “Lou’s Blues”. He has performed with Nicholas Payton, Lew Soloff, Joe Simons (bassist at Commander’s Palace), Barry White, Isaac Hayes, Sonny and Cher, Donnie and Marie Osmond, the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra (as Jimmy Dorsey), the Temptations, the Four Tops, Maynard Ferguson, Steve Lippia, the Gene Krupa Orchestra...just to mention a few. He has performed at the Vienne Jazz Festival in France and as a soloist with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. He has written jazz compositions that were performed by the Stan Kenton Orchestra and songs that have been performed by Kathie Lee Gifford, the Lennon Sisters, and others. He has four solo albums of original jazz hymn arrangements. His soprano sax playing is particularly popular in churches. He is a strong big band lead alto player, having fronted the Bill Causey Big Band of Shreveport, LA, and the UAB SuperJazz orchestra of Birmingham, AL.
