Hello!

My name is Stephen. I'm a passionate and enthusiastic human who's particularly interested in opportunities to positively impact the lives of others through musical creativity, community, and culture. Often - but not always - I seek to do this with a trumpet in my hand... Music is a significant part of my personal identity and the work that I do, but I enjoy expressing myself creatively in many different ways, and have also been recognized for my work in scholarly research, service, mentorship, and community-building.

 

I'm always looking for opportunities to learn, grow, and explore. Thanks for visiting my site! If you're looking for a more "traditional" artist biography, please read further down or visit the press page. I look forward to connecting with you! 

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BIO

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Trumpet artist Stephen M. Wadsack is an enthusiastic performer, music educator, arts administrator, and academic researcher. With a multifaceted career that has taken him around the globe, Wadsack seeks to connect meaningfully with others through shared artistic experiences in both stage and classroom alike. 

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PERFORMER

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Currently based in the Greater Atlanta area, Stephen regularly performs in symphony orchestras, as a soloist, in chamber ensembles, and as an apostle of new music - in venues ranging from jazz clubs to cathedrals. Wadsack is a frequent trumpet soloist, often presenting several recitals annually and appearing with renowned arts organizations. Recent solo engagements include appearances with the Atlanta Wind Symphony (alongside trumpeters Jens Lindemann and Chris Martin), the Φιλαρμονική Εταιρία Μάντζαρος (Mantzaros Philharmonic, Corfu, GR), the Hillcrest High School Wind Ensemble (UT), and both the Wind Ensemble and Symphony Orchestras at Kennesaw State University.

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Additionally, Wadsack has performed as guest or associate musician with ensembles such as the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Dayton Philharmonic (OH), Lexington Philharmonic (KY), Kentucky Symphony, Richmond Symphony (IN), and Springfield Symphony (OH), as well as nearly a dozen additional regional orchestras in the Ohio Tri-State region. In 2025, he was appointed Principal Trumpet of the Georgia Ballet Orchestra and is also a top-call freelance trumpeter in Greater Atlanta. 

 

An active chamber musician, Wadsack currently leads the inaugural Faculty Brass Quintet at Kennesaw State University, having previously led and performing with the Wright State University Faculty Brass. For ten years, he played trumpet, led educational programming, and performed arts administration duties for the nationally touring and award-winning ensemble, Grand Avenue Brass. As a Baroque trumpeter and chamber musician, Wadsack has performed with world-renowned international soloist Friedemann Immer, the Kentucky Baroque Trumpets, and as a featured artist at the North American Baroque Trumpet Conference.

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Equally at home in all musical styles, Stephen is also frequently called upon to perform in jazz and commercial music idioms, as well as for studio recording and arranging work. Wadsack has performed with the nationally-touring Broadway musical "Book of Mormon," recorded for Berkshire Hathaway corporate events, as well as Carnival and Celebrity Cruise Lines. From 2018 to 2024, he performed with Cedar Fair Entertainment, presenting shows to approximately 3.5 million guests each year over an 8-month season.​ As a jazz/commercial musician, Wadsack has led his own small group in regular engagements throughout the Cincinnati region, in addition to having shared the stage with legends such as Randy Brecker, Dave Douglas, the Yellowjackets, and the American rock band KANSAS.

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EDUCATOR

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As an artist-educator, Stephen works passionately to inspire generations of musicians, teachers, and patrons of the arts; a key aspect of his teaching philosophy is an emphasis on ‘soft skill’ development as holding an equal place among pedagogical content. Wadsack is frequently called upon to speak on these (and other) topics, to perform as a guest artist, adjudicate competitions, and lead masterclasses at various institutional levels. To date, he has worked with over 60 university and high school programs across 16 different states. Since 2024, he has also served as faculty at the Corfu International Trumpet Festival in Corfu, Greece.

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Stephen encourages students to apply concepts learned in pursuit of musical excellence to all aspects of their lives - resulting in a greater sense of satisfaction, self-efficacy, personal fulfillment, and more engaging performances. His numerous thriving students have secured prominent positions in the world as performers, teachers, arts advocates, promoters, composers, conductors, and community members. 

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In 2024, Wadsack began his tenure as the trumpet professor of the Dr. Bobbie Bailey School of Music at Kennesaw State University (KSU), a large research university in metro Atlanta; prior to joining the faculty at KSU, Stephen previously served as trumpet professor and Director of Jazz Studies at Wright State University (OH), as Director of Bands at Wilmington College (OH), and as an applied trumpet instructor at Thomas More University (KY), the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), and the University of Wyoming. When his schedule allows, Stephen also maintains a private studio of serious and committed musicians, ranging in age from middle schoolers to retired or “comeback players”. In the summers, Wadsack frequently accepts invitations to teach at some of the world's most prestigious summer camps and music festivals.

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SCHOLAR

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Stephen is a lifelong learner and advocate of music’s communal role in society. He is a published author in both the International Trumpet Guild Journal and the music education journal Wyoming Windsong. Recent scholarship activities include selection by the Historic Brass Society and North American Baroque Trumpet Conference to present research on the trumpet writing of world-renowned composer J.S. Bach, as well as selection by the International Trumpet Guild (ITG) to present a collection of case studies and best practices on the college audition process at the 2022 conference in San Antonio, TX. In 2014, Wadsack was a recipient of the prestigious Theodore Presser Undergraduate Scholar in Music award.

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​Wadsack is also committed to exploring new works for trumpet. In recent years, he has served as a consortium lead or member to create new works by Katahj Copley, Marcus Grant, Diversify the Stand, Chroma Collective, and numerous others. Through recent collaborations with six-time American Prize winning composer, Martin Hebel, Wadsack has co-commissioned two arrangements for trumpet quartet - both of which were awarded top honors at the National Trumpet Competition and received invitations for performances at the ITG Conference. Stephen also commissioned and performed the world premiere of Hebel's "Rhapsody for One", a composition for unaccompanied trumpet that commemorates the 100-year anniversary of the birth of American musical juggernaut, Leonard Bernstein.