Gustavus Adolphus College

Associate Professor
Music

B.M. University of Iowa; M.M. & D.M.A. University of Minnesota

Dr. Steve Wright is a nationally known trumpeter, jazz arranger andcomposer. At Gustavus, he directs the Gustavus Jazz Lab Band and theAdolphus Jazz Ensemble, teaches Music Arranging and is the TrumpetInstructor. He also teaches January Term courses in Careers In Music,Music Software & Technology and Jazz History. Wright earned his BMdegree from the University of Iowa and a MM and DMA from the Universityof Minnesota. His teachers have included John Beer, Vincent Cichowicz,Lloyd Geisler, Gary Bordner and David Baldwin.

A native ofBurlington, Iowa, Steve Wright joined the United States Air ForceAirmen of Note in 1968, playing both jazz and lead trumpet, as well aswriting arrangements for the band. Since 1972, he has been a free-lancetrumpeter, composer, arranger and music contractor in the Twin Cities.Wright has performed at Orchestra Hall for many years with theOrchestra Hall Big Band and the Minnesota Orchestraon occasional pops concerts. He has recorded numerous films, TV andradio commercials and albums and has played lead trumpet for suchperformers as Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis, Jr., Peggy Lee, RosemaryClooney, Johnny Mathis, Joe Williams and Ray Charles among others. Dr.Wright is a United Musical Instruments (Conn) artist-clinician andperforms as a guest artist with high school and college bands and jazzensembles.

Wright recently re-released his own Big Band album Take Twoon CD and and is currently publishing new and previously released jazzensemble compositions, as well as distributing jazz recordings of TwinCities artists. His compositions and arrangements for trumpet ensemblehave been performed at the last four International Trumpet Guildconferences and a new piece -- Three Pieces for 12 Internet Trumpeters received its premier at the ITG 2000 conference in New York.

Professionalmemberships include the Twin Cities Jazz Society, American ComposersForum, International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE AssociateMember), MENC, ITG, Phi Mu Alpha and the American Federation ofMusicians (AFM) for over 40 years.