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Music department hosts Dave Pietro Quintet in concert Sept. 13


Last updated August 29, 2019

By Tina Underwood

The Furman Department of Music will host the Dave Pietro Quintet Friday, Sept. 13, at 8 p.m. in Daniel Recital Hall on campus.

The jazz concert is open to the public and is sponsored by Furman’s Student Government Association, D’Addario Woodwinds, and Conn-Selmer. General admission tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors and $5 for students.

pietro

Dave Pietro leads the NYC-based quintet.

Led by saxophonist and New York University Assistant Professor of Jazz Studies Dave Pietro, the quintet also includes Alex Sipiagin (trumpet), Gary Versace (piano), Johannes Weidenmueller (bass) and Rudy Royston (drums).

Furman Professor of Saxophone and Director of Jazz Studies Matt Olson said, “It’s not often we get the chance to hear world-class playing like this in Greenville, so we are doing our best to bring it to the community.”

A native of Southboro, Massachusetts, Pietro has been a fixture on the New York music scene since 1987. His talents as a gifted saxophonist, woodwind doubler, composer and educator have made him a highly sought-after musician who has performed at jazz clubs, jazz festivals, schools and concert halls in more than 30 countries throughout Asia, Australia, Europe and the Americas.

Pietro is a member of the Grammy Award-winning Maria Schneider Orchestra and Grammy-nominated groups the Gil Evans Project and Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society.

From the mid-90s to 2016 he played lead alto saxophone and recorded seven CDs with the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra. He has also toured and/or recorded with the bands of Woody Herman, Lionel Hampton, Maynard Ferguson, The Village Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, John Fedchock, Mike Holober, and Anita Brown among many others.

He has performed with celebrated artists such as Paul Anka, Louis Bellson, Blood Sweat & Tears, David Bowie, Bobby Caldwell, Ray Charles, Rosemary Clooney, Harry Connick Jr., Michael Feinstein, Chaka Khan, Liza Minnelli, James Naughton and John Pizzarelli.

Pietro has released six CDs to critical acclaim with musicians such as Dave Holland, Kenny Werner, Ben Monder, Bill Stewart, Brian Blade, Scott Colley, Scott Wendholt, Duduka De Fonseca, Helio Alves and Pete McCann.

Pietro was selected as a semi-finalist for the first two Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz International Saxophone Competitions (1991 and 1996) and was a finalist in the 1995 JAZZIZ Magazine “Woodwinds on Fire” talent search. In addition to other awards, he was the recipient of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1996.

Pietro holds a bachelor’s in music education from North Texas State University where he toured and recorded four albums with the school’s One O’Clock Lab Band. He holds a master’s in jazz composition from New York University.

Learn more about Dave Pietro. For more information, contact the Furman Department of Music at 864-294-2086, and FurmanMusic@furman.edu. Or contact the Furman News and Media Strategy office at 864-294-3107.

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Clinton Colmenares
Director of News and Media Strategy