Steve WrightEmeriti

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Dr. Steve Wright (retired) is a nationally known trumpeter, jazz arranger and composer. At Gustavus, he directed the Gustavus Jazz Lab Band and the Adolphus Jazz Ensemble, taught Music Arranging and was the Trumpet Instructor. He taught January Term courses in Careers In Music, Music Software & Technology and Jazz History. Wright earned his BM degree from the University of Iowa and a MM and DMA from the University of Minnesota. His teachers have included John Beer, Vincent Cichowicz, Lloyd Geisler, Gary Bordner and David Baldwin.

A native of Burlington, Iowa, Steve Wright joined the United States Air Force Airmen of Note in 1968, playing both jazz and lead trumpet, as well as writing arrangements for the band. Since 1972, he has been a free-lance trumpeter, composer, arranger and music contractor in the Twin Cities.Wright has performed at Orchestra Hall for many years with the Orchestra Hall Big Band and the Minnesota Orchestra on occasional pops concerts. He has recorded numerous TV and radio commercials and albums and has played lead trumpet for such performers as Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis, Jr., Peggy Lee, Rosemary Clooney, Johnny Mathis, Joe Williams and Ray Charles among others. Dr.Wright performs as a guest artist with high school and college bands and jazz ensembles.

Wright recently re-released his own Big Band album Take Two on CD and and is currently publishing new and previously released jazz ensemble compositions, as well as distributing jazz recordings of Twin Cities artists. His compositions and arrangements for trumpet ensemble have been performed at four International Trumpet Guild conferences and a new piece -- Three Impressions for 12 Trumpets received its premier at the ITG 2004 conference in New York.  Wright's Concerto for Trumpet & Wind Ensemble was recorded by the Gustavus Band in 2001 and was also recently recorded by his former private student - Andrew Classen -  jazz and trumpet professor at Drake University. The first movement of the Concerto may be heard at SteveWrightMusic.com.

He was the co-host of the 36th annual International Trumpet Guild Conference, which took place in May of 2011 in Minneapolis and set an all-time record for attendance.

Professional memberships include the Twin Cities Jazz Society, Jazz Education Network (JEN), MENC, ITG, Phi Mu Alpha and the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) for over 40 years.

Courses Taught