Education

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

Areas of Expertise

Jazz, trumpet, composition/arranging, digital recording, and music industry

Steve Wright

Music

Dr. Steve Wright is a nationally known trumpeter, jazz arranger and composer. At Gustavus, he directs the Gustavus Jazz Lab Band and the Adolphus Jazz Ensemble, teaches Music Arranging and is the Trumpet Instructor. He also teaches 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 films, 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 is an Accent Musical Instruments artist-clinician and 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 the last four International Trumpet Guild conferences and a new piece -- Three Pieces for 12 Internet Trumpeters received its premier at the ITG 2000 conference in New York.

Professional memberships include the Twin Cities Jazz Society, International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE Associate Member), MENC, ITG, Phi Mu Alpha and the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) for over 40 years.

Contact Information

Music
Gustavus Adolphus College
800 West College Avenue
Saint Peter, MN 56082

Phone: 507-933-7439
E-mail: swright@gustavus.edu

Courses Taught

• Adolphus Jazz Ensemble
• Gustavus Jazz Lab Band
• Music Arranging

Steve Wright's Schedule