Peter Bellino

Hailing from Buffalo, NY, trumpeter Peter Bellino grew up in a musical family. Although his first love was the guitar, once he heard the brilliant and brassy sound of the trumpet through a resounding rendition of Grieg's 'In the Hall of the Mountain King' there was no doubt that that was the instrument for him. The brassiness of the trumpet combined with the chromaticism of 'Mountain King" appealed to Peter's musical sensibilities eventually leading him to the exciting world of jazz through the likes of Lee Morgan, Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard and Louis Armstrong.

Since his high school days, Peter has always shared a strong interest in jazz composition and while a student at the University of Miami he discovered the music of one of his heroes - the late Kenny Wheeler. One of Peter's major compositions for jazz orchestra and voice titled "Autumn Rhapsody," is a suite that was largely influenced by Wheeler’s style and was recorded at the Eastman School of Music during the fall of 1999. It can be heard in the 'recordings' section of his website, PeterBellino.com.

Following studies at the University of Kentucky and Eastman School of Music and a brief but patriotic stint with the Air Force Band of the Midwest, Peter accepted a position in Nagasaki, Japan at a resort called Hius Ten Bosch where he performed and arranged music for jazz ensemble, brass ensemble, Latin jazz ensemble, Dixie band, and salsa band.

After arriving statewide, he completed his doctoral degree in 2000 and began teaching for the Paul Effman Music Service and in 2005 was promoted to Regional Manager of the Capital Region (Albany, NY). Additionally, he is an adjunct instructor at Schenectady County Community College, the College of St. Rose and Union College.

Since moving to Albany, Peter has been in high demand for his musical expertise. As a crossover artist, Peter has shared the concert stage with many of the top performers and ensembles of our time, such as Grammy award winning Albany Symphony, Glens Falls Symphony, Albany Pro Musica, Empire Jazz Orchestra, New York Players Organization, Aretha Franklin, Dave Holland, Gap Mangione, ‘Doc’ Severinsen, Claudio Roditi, Lew Soloff, James Williams, Lee Konitz and many others.

He has studied trumpet with legends Gilbert Johnson, Vince DiMartino, Barbara Butler and Chris Gekker and his composition teachers have included Fred Sturm, Bill Dobbins, Morgan Powell, Ronnie Miller and Gary Lindsay.

In addition to maintaining and active career as a performer, teacher and composer, Peter’s interests include ultra-running, international cuisine and travel, reading, home remodeling, landscaping and gardening.