ABOUT

Hello! My name is Stephen.

I'm a passionate, curious, and oftentimes enthusiastic human.

I love living on this planet and getting to learn more about the world around me, each and every day. Particularly, I'm most interested in music, collaboration, hospitality, travel, creativity, the natural world, food and drink, community, and culture. I love animals, the color green, and deep, meaningful conversations about almost anything.

Much of the time, I can be found pursuing many of these interests with a trumpet in my hand (or at least nearby). 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 consider myself an accomplished amateur in lots of other passions, from fly fishing to craft beverages.

I'm always looking for opportunities to learn, grow, and explore–most of all, connecting with people through common interests and shared experiences.

Thanks for visiting my site; if you're looking for a more "traditional" artist biography, you're in the right place. Keep scrolling further down this page (or for press inquiries, visit the press page where you'll find downloadable versions of EPK materials).

I look forward to connecting with you!

Some organizations Stephen has worked with:

About

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.

Performer

Currently based in the Greater Atlanta area, Stephen regularly performs in symphony orchestras, as a recitalist, in chamber ensembles, and as an apostle of new music–in venues ranging from jazz clubs to cathedrals. Wadsack is a frequent trumpet soloist, presenting performances 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 Mantzaros Philharmonic (Φιλαρμονική Εταιρία Μάντζαρος, Corfu, GR), the Georgia Brass Band, the Atlanta Youth Wind Symphony, the Anchorage All-City Jazz Ensemble (AK), the Hillcrest High School Wind Ensemble (UT), and both the Wind Ensemble and Symphony Orchestras at Kennesaw State University.

In the orchestral idiom, Wadsack has performed as guest or associate musician with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Dayton Philharmonic (OH), Chattanooga Symphony (TN), Lexington Philharmonic (KY), Georgia Symphony, Kentucky Symphony, Richmond Symphony (IN), and Springfield Symphony (OH), as well as numerous other regional orchestras in the Cincinnati and Atlanta Metro areas. In 2025, he was appointed Principal Trumpet of the Georgia Ballet Orchestra and quickly established himself as a top-call freelance trumpeter in Greater Atlanta.

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An active chamber musician, Wadsack currently leads the inaugural Faculty Brass Quintet at Kennesaw State University, having previously led the Wright State University Faculty Brass from 2022 to 2024. 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 chamber musician, Wadsack has performed with world-renowned international soloists such as Friedemann Immer and Jean-François Madeuf; with the Kentucky Baroque Trumpets; and as a featured artist at the North American Baroque Trumpet Conference and Historic Brass Society International Symposiums.

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 "The 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 performs regularly with the Jazz Legacy Project and the "GSO Jazz!" in metro Atlanta. He also 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.

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 importance to that of pedagogy. 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 on the faculty of the Corfu International Trumpet Festival in Corfu, Greece.

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.

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. At KSU, he also serves as Head of Brass, overseeing approximately 60 majors across five applied studios, as well as a robust brass chamber music program. The brass studios at KSU are consistently recognized in national performing competitions; they also place graduates in top performing ensembles, highly coveted teaching positions, and competitive graduate study programs.

Prior to joining the faculty at Kennesaw State, Stephen served as the trumpet professor and Director of Jazz Studies at Wright State University (OH), where he received the College of the Liberal Arts Outstanding Faculty Award for excellence in teaching, scholarship, and professional service in 2024. Additional prior academic appointments include Wilmington College (OH), 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 “comeback players”. In the summers, Wadsack frequently accepts invitations to teach at some of the world's most prestigious summer camps and music festivals.

Scholar

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 peer-reviewed lectures at the annual conferences in 2025 and 2022. In 2026, he will perform at the International Trombone Festival in Riga, Latvia as a featured soloist.

In 2024, Wadsack began a two-year project collecting oral histories and surviving historical records that document the twentieth-century Greek school of trumpet pedagogy. Through this work, he has collaborated with both Greek trumpeters and composers to bring awareness to previously unperformed works for trumpet. Many of these previously unpublished works received their North American premieres by Wadsack in a lecture recital at the 2025 ITG Conference. Through a partnership with Kennesaw State University's Summer Undergraduate Research Program, many of Wadsack's students were able to travel with him to Greece, participating in field research, cultural exchange, and eventually presenting their own performances of previously uncirculated compositions.

Wadsack is also deeply committed to exploring new works for trumpet and brass chamber groups. In recent years, he has served as a consortium lead or member to help petition new works by Katahj Copley, Marcus Grant, Diversify the Stand, Chroma Collective, and numerous others. Through collaborations with six-time American Prize winning composer, Martin Hebel, Wadsack has co-commissioned two arrangements for trumpet quartet–both of which were premiered and 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.

Arts Leadership

Stephen has been recognized for his infectious personality, enthusiasm, and oratory skill as an arts leader. In 2025, Wadsack was named General Manager of the Historic Brass Society, an international body of scholars dedicated to the preservation of historic brass instruments, their music, use, and culture. During his tenure, the society has enjoyed an increase in membership, while also partnering with other established organizations to present an international symposium at the Conservatoire Nationale Supérieur Musique et Danse in Lyon, France and the Altenburg Trumpet Competition in Bad Säckingen, Germany.

In 2024, Wadsack was appointed the Assistant Volunteer Coordinator of the International Trumpet Guild's annual conference, the largest event of its kind. In this role, he oversees and mentors a team of over 80 volunteers along with other members of the ITG Conference Staff. For three years, Wadsack also served as an inaugural member of the Linton Chamber Music Advisory Board, overseeing programming and direction of free arts education concerts, presented to thousands of children and their families throughout the Greater Cincinnati area. During the Summer 2022 season, Stephen also served as the Interim Education Director and Manager for Linton PB&J, alongside his spouse, Casey.

For six years, Wadsack served on the leadership board of the Ohio ITG chapter, and also held the position of Midwest District Coordinator for the North American ITG affiliate chapters. Now in metro Atlanta, he is the founder and a charter member of the Atlanta Trumpet Guild, which recently partnered with Kennesaw State University to host the 2026 Trumpet Festival of the Southeast Previously, Stephen also served as the Executive Staff and Competition Host Assistant of the National Trumpet Competition in Lexington, KY. He remains active as a clinician and adjudicator for both the National Trumpet Competition and International Trumpet Guild Ryan Anthony Memorial Competitions.

...NOT Trumpet

Outside of musical pursuits, Stephen enjoys connecting with friends, family, and a growing community of current and former students. He is very passionate about the outdoors, hiking, fly fishing, and traveling to new places (especially National and State Parks).

At home, Stephen regularly enjoys hosting board game nights, reading up on theology, cooking, all things coffee, and even brewing his own beer. He is also particularly proud of his Wyoming roots (Go Pokes!).

Stephen is happily married to his wife and "adventure partner," Casey, a fellow musician, adventurous spirit, and clinical social worker. Together, they have collaborated to present trainings on reframing the concept of trauma and trauma responses, particularly within the collegiate setting and applied music pedagogy. When not traveling the globe, or looking for a good craft beer, they reside in Marietta, Georgia.