John Pendenza was principal trumpet of the New Jersey Pops Orchestra for 13 years and has performed with the New Jersey Symphony, the New Philharmonic of New Jersey, the Westchester Symphony and many other freelance orchestras in the New York metropolitan area.
John was a member of the Mannes Conservatory’s Brass and Wind Ensembles while still attending high school. He formed his first brass quintet in 1968. He performed at Lincoln Center and with the New Jersey Opera before graduating from Glassboro State College (now Rowan University) of New Jersey.
He has toured with the big bands of Buddy Rich, Lionel Hampton, Glenn Miller, Jimmy Dorsey and the New Xavier Cugat Orchestra. John has been heard in the Broadway orchestras of "Crazy for You", "Catskills on Broadway", "Will Rogers Follies", and "Starlight Express".
He has played lead trumpet for Cher, the Temptations, the Four Tops, Mel Torme, Tony Bennett, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Yes, Patty Austin, Linda Ronstadt and many others.
He has recorded with Lionel Hampton, the New Xavier Cugat Orchestra, Barry Manilow, Captain Music, and Tropical Motivation, among others.
His Boulevard Big Bandsm released its live debut album, "A Night on the Boulevard" in 2000 and he recorded “Pipes and Pistons”, a CD of classical music for trumpet, organ and tympani in 2002.
What is your favorite aspect about being a musician? I love the camaraderie that comes from a group of professionals working toward a common goal, that of bringing a composer’s ideas to life. We take ink on a page and through our talent, composers from all over the world and throughout the ages can still speak to our audience. And the audience's response makes all the work worthwhile.
Which composers most inspire you? I have always been a fan of Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, Copland, Richard Strauss and Beethoven.
What are your favorite recordings? My desert island list of must have recordings has to include Maurice Andre playing the Michael Haydn Trumpet Concerto, Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic - Mahler’s Symphony No. 7, Toscanini and the NBC Symphony – Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliette and Leontyne Price singing the title role of Carmen with Herbert Von Karajan and the Vienna Philharmonic.
What piece are you looking forward to most in the SCSO's 2010 - 2011 Season? So many of my favorites are planned for the 2010 - 2011 season, it is hard narrow it down. Marche Slave, A Midsummer’s Night Dream, and the Moldau are all great, but I am especially looking forward to the March 19th concert with Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain, Strauss’s Death and Transfiguration and Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliette all on one program.
