| About Aaron A. Pellegrini | I was born on August 25, 1976 as a sixth generation from Nevada. Music has been a part of me since I can first remember, and as a result, I began composing at a very early age. My first opera, Season of Regret, began in the summer of 1985, when I first began thinking about the story line and characters I wished to use. It wasn’t until fall of 1987, however, that I began putting pen to paper, scoring the overture for full orchestra on the sixth grade playground. In all, it took me nearly twenty-two years to complete the opera, alongside my father, who wrote the libretto based on the story and characters I had chosen. During this same time, I was asked to become the student conductor of our music program, assisting the band teacher with grades five through twelve. I held this position until I graduated high school in June of 1995, and have occasionally returned as a guest conductor and performer. After graduating high school, I attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas on a full ride scholarship for music education. My primary instrument at that time was French horn; however, I also studied piano and voice. On December 5, 1996, I was called back home as the band director for the schools in my home town had left, and the band program had gone from one of the finest in the state to a mere embarrassment. I instructed grades five through twelve, a zero period jazz band, a music appreciation class for the high school, two marching bands and multiple concerts until June of 1997. The main concert band had jumped from eleven members to over ninety by the time I was finished. In 1997 I was asked not to return to UNLV, as my grades were horrible, and every professor had decided I did not have what it took to be a successful music education student at the university. I enrolled at the University of Nevada, Reno and continued my studies on horn. It was during this time that I began proper lessons on pipe organ at Trinity Episcopal Church. I was not allowed to return to UNR the following semester, for the same reasons UNLV gave. In 1998 I began playing principle horn for the Carson Valley Pops Orchestra, and several months later, I took the position of assistant conductor/arranger/composer for the orchestra. In 2006, I scored an original composition celebrating the 100th birthday of Minden, Nevada. As a result, I was a guest on KUNR as an artist in residence, as well as a spot on News Channel 4. I also received Congressional recognition from Congressman Jim Gibbons, as well as Senatorial recognition from Nevada State Senator John Ensign. In August of 2007, I married my wife, Jennifer. She is instrumental in encouraging me to continue with my writing and trying to promote Season of Regret. In 2008, I received the Nevada Artist Fellowship award from the Nevada Arts Council. To date, I have nearly 300 compositions, including concertos, sonatas, etudes, symphonies and orchestral works. I am currently working on scoring my third opera, as well as a cantata on the crucifixion of Christ. |
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