MEET THE ORCHESTRA

John Raschella is currently Principal Trumpet with The Syracuse Orchestra. Prior to that for 30 years he was Principal Trumpet and Associate Principal trumpet of the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra. He has performed as Co Principal trumpet with the Pittsburgh Symphony and has performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra along with the symphony orchestras of Houston, Minnesota, Buffalo, Rochester and Jacksonville. He has also been a featured performer at the International Trumpet Guild Conference and has recorded with the Pittsburgh and Syracuse Symphony Orchestras. In the summers he has performed as principal trumpet of the Eastern Music Festival in N Carolina and the Spoleto festival in Italy as well as a frequent performer at the Skaneateles festival.
Mr. Raschella attended the Curtis Institute of Music where he received an artist diploma. Mr. Raschella has taught at Ithaca College and is on the faculties of Syracuse University and Hamilton College. He has given master classes at The Curtis Institute, Ithaca College, McGill University and Nazareth College among others.
Mr. Raschella is a native of Syracuse having grown up in North Syracuse and remembers his first musical experience as going to a young persons concert at the war memorial and hearing the Syracuse Symphony at the age of 9. It changed his life and inspired him to pursue a career in classical music! His children are also musicians with daughter Mary (violin) a string music educator in the Williamsville school district and son David (french horn) who is Assistant Principal Horn with the Florida Orchestra.
When not playing the trumpet you will find he and his wife Bonnie aboard their boat “High C’s” where they love to cruise the Erie Canal, the Hudson River and the great lakes!