Role

:

Composer Conductor Performer

Birth

:

August 2, 1932 in Souderton, PA

Genre

:

Band

 

 

Chamber

 

 

Concerto

 

 

Orchestral

 

Donald Hunsberger was born on September 14, 1928, in Rochester, New York. He grew up in a musical family, with his father playing the trumpet and his mother playing the piano. Hunsberger began playing the trumpet at a young age and quickly showed a talent for music. Hunsberger attended the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester, where he studied trumpet with William Vacchiano and conducting with Walter Hendl. After graduating in 1950, he joined the United States Marine Band as a trumpet player and served for four years. In 1954, Hunsberger returned to the Eastman School of Music as a faculty member, where he taught trumpet and conducting. He also began conducting the Eastman Wind Ensemble, a group that he would lead for over 20 years. Under Hunsberger's direction, the Eastman Wind Ensemble became one of the most renowned wind ensembles in the world, known for their innovative programming and virtuosic performances. Hunsberger's career as a conductor and arranger also led him to work with some of the most prominent classical music artists of his time. He conducted the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the London Symphony Orchestra, among others. He also collaborated with composers such as Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein, and John Williams, arranging their music for wind ensemble. One of Hunsberger's most notable achievements was his work on the soundtrack for the 1977 film "Star Wars." He arranged and conducted the music for the film's opening fanfare, which has become one of the most recognizable pieces of music in popular culture. Throughout his career, Hunsberger received numerous awards and honors for his contributions to classical music. In 1988, he was awarded the Medal of Honor from the John Philip Sousa Foundation, and in 1994, he received the National Medal of Arts from President Bill Clinton. He was also inducted into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame in 1998. Hunsberger retired from the Eastman School of Music in 2001, but continued to conduct and arrange music until his death on March 26, 2019, at the age of 90. His legacy as a conductor, arranger, and educator continues to inspire generations of classical music artists.

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