Anthony Mazzaferro was the band director at Fullerton College for 29 years. He joins the show to talk about his current career and his current gig at the Orange County School of the Arts.

Topics:

• Anthony’s background and the story of how he ended up with a Navy surplus tuba and a career was born.
• Studying conducting with John Paynter at Northwestern and some tips for score study.
• Earning his doctorate at Arizona State University and studying tuba with Dan Perantoni and conducting with Richard Strange.
• Teaching elementary music in Palo Alto, California and the move to Southern California to teach at Fullerton College.

Links:

• Orange County School of the Arts
• Bennett: Symphonic Songs for Band
• LoPresti: Elegy for a Young American
• Reed: Armenian Dances

Biography:

Dr. Anthony Mazzaferro was born and raised in San Francisco. He received his Bachelor of Music degree from San Francisco State University. During his undergraduate years, he served as the Principal Tubist in the Symphonic Band and Symphony Orchestra. In addition to this he was the Assistant Conductor for both the Symphonic and Concert Bands. After graduating with honors in 1978, Dr. Mazzaferro attended Northwestern University. He pursued a Master of Music degree in Instrumental Conducting where he studied with John P. Paynter. In 1986 he received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Arizona State University.

His guest conducting and adjudication assignments have included Honor Bands and Orchestras throughout the Western United States, Canada, Singapore and New Zealand. In 1994, 2001, and 2014 Dr. Mazzaferro was selected to conduct the California All-State Honor Band. In 2007 Dr. Mazzaferro also conducted the California All-State Junior High Symphonic Band. Dr Mazzaferro has also conducted the Alberta, Canada All-Provincial Honor Band and the Singapore “Junior College” National Honor Band. As a clinician, Dr. Mazzaferro has worked with Concert Bands and Orchestras from The United States, Japan, Singapore, New Zealand, Canada, and China.

Dr. Mazzaferro is the 2007 recipient of the California Music Educators Association (CMEA) “Don Schmeer/Byron Hoyt Band Educator Award for excellence in Band Education and Performance”. Dr. Mazzaferro is active in several other musical affiliations outside of Fullerton College. His most recent activities include serving on the Advisory Board for the Cazadero Performing Arts Camp in Northern California and serving as an Assistant Conductor for the Orange County Youth Symphony Orchestra (OCYSO).

Dr. Mazzaferro recently retired after 29 years as a full time faculty member of the Music Department at Fullerton College. Dr. Mazzaferro currently is the Conductor of the Frederick Fennell Wind Ensemble at the Orange County School for the Arts, Conductor of the Orange County Wind Symphony, and is Principal Tuba in the Symphony Irvine, Corona Symphony, and Dana Point Symphony Orchestra.

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