Gregory Pascuzzi

Gregory Pascuzzi was born in 1952 in Pittsburgh to musician parents. His father, Wayne, was principal percussionist with the Pittsburgh Symphony during the Reiner and Steinberg eras, and his older brother, Todd, was a tubist with the River City Brass Band. He studied composition and conducting with Karel Husa, Frank McCarty, Henry Mazer, Manuel Alverez and Sheldon Morgenstern. His trumpet teachers include Anthony Pasquarelli, Paul Gerlach and Charles Hois in Pittsburgh; Ray Crisara and William Vacchiano in New York; Steven Hendrickson and David Flowers of the National Symphony; John Wallace, Edward Carroll and James Thompson at the Lake Placid Institute; as well as Rob Roy McGregor, Ed Hoffman and Naval Academy Band alumnus Don Tison of the Baltimore Symphony.

His arrangements and original music have been played by several U.S. orchestras including Baltimore, Dallas, Detroit, Fort Worth, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Richmond and Johnstown. Other noted ensembles to perform his works include the New English and European Orchestras, All Souls Orchestra and Big Band in London and Salzburg, the BBC Big Band, Westminster Brass, the River City and St. John's River City Brass Bands, the Russian Volga Wind Band, most of the major American service bands, as well as some in the U.K., Japan, and Russia. Noted trumpeters he's written for include Marvin Stamm; Mike Vax, formerly lead trumpet with the Stan Kenton Orchestra; Dennis Najoom of the Milwaukee Symphony; Phil Smith of the New York Philharmonic; Ed Hoffman of the Baltimore Symphony; Fred Mills, formerly with the Canadian Brass; Richard Burkart of the Ohio State University; Robert Birch of the U.S. Navy Band; Daniel Nevius of the U.S. Army Field Band; and Terry Everson of Boston University. Other performers include tubist Patrick Sheridan; violinist Jose-Luis Garcia, former concertmaster with the English Chamber Orchestra; cellists Joann Garcia of the ECO and Anne Martindale Williams, principal, Pittsburgh Symphony; and mezzo-soprano Marietta Simpson. Seven pieces, including four premiers, have been performed at International Trumpet Guild conferences. He's been an active composer and performer with the Christian Performing Artists' Fellowship in Washington, D.C.; Christian Fellowship of Art Music Composers; and similar groups in the U.K. and Europe, including Crescendo, Wellspring and the All Souls, New English and New European Orchestras.

He served 27 years (1972-1999) with two major American military bands, the U.S. Military Academy Band at West Point and the U.S. Army Field Band in Washington, D.C. His duties with the latter included solo cornet and percussion with the Concert Band; piano and trumpet with the Soldiers' Chorus, Volunteers and Jazz Ambassadors; plus composing, arranging and, on occasion, conducting. He toured extensively with these groups through the United States, Europe, Asia and India. In 1992 he was invited to appear as guest composer and conductor at the Royal Military School of Music in London. In 2003 he guest conducted his music with the Johnstown Symphony and West Point Band.

Currently he's a freelance musician in the Baltimore/Washington area with groups as varied as the Peabody Ragtime Ensemble and the Klezmer band, Lox & Vodka. He co-directs the Annapolis Christian Big Band and has served as co-director of Music at Bishop Cummins Memorial Reformed Episcopal Church in Baltimore.