My name is Aaron Perrine, and I’m thrilled to be a newly elected member of the American Bandmasters Association. I am primarily a composer, but I also enjoy conducting when given the opportunity. I was raised in rural, northern Minnesota, and music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. My first instrument was the piano. By the time I was ten, I had also begun playing the trumpet. My father was the only band director in our small town, so the band room quickly became a second home. After school, I experimented with playing other instruments. I also developed a basic understanding of music theory from my piano lessons. Though I did not know it at the time, I was slowly acquiring some of the necessary skills to one day compose music of my own.
After high school I attended the University of Minnesota, Morris. Academically, it is a strong school. However, it was their thriving jazz program and charismatic leader that ultimately pulled me in. At that time, there were four big bands, which is impressive considering the total enrollment was roughly two thousand students. I was a music major from my first day on campus. However, early in my trumpet studies, the professor that recruited me—he taught trumpet lessons in addition to directing the jazz bands—threw me a curveball and suggested I switch my primary instrument to trombone. Though he was right, it took me some time to be convinced the change was necessary. While I wrestled with the switch, he suggested I write a chart for the top jazz group to read. I took him up on the offer, and from that point on, I was hooked. I continued to write for our jazz band, learning from each experience. I eventually branched out to chamber music, and as a senior, wrote my first work for concert band.
After my undergraduate degree, I ultimately found myself teaching high school in an urban high school just outside of downtown Saint Paul. The position was very different than anything I had experienced leading up to it, but I quickly learned to love it, challenges and all. The program was quite small and lacked resources. However, I was proud of the culture the students and I created during the four years I was there. I also earned a master’s degree in education from the University of Minnesota during this tenure. In addition to courses in education, I studied composition and orchestration.
While I enjoyed my time as a band director, I also knew I wanted to earn a degree in composition. I eventually settled on attending the University of Iowa, intrigued by the opportunity to teach theory while earning my doctorate. I was also excited about the opportunity to write my dissertation for the University of Iowa Symphony Band. When I was ABD, I began teaching at Cornell College, which is a small liberal arts college not far from Iowa City. I was there in various capacities for approximately eight years. During that time, my compositional career began to get busy, propelled by winning the ABA Sousa/Ostwald Award in both 2013 and 2015. I eventually put my teaching career on hold and have composed full-time for the past six years.
My wife Stephanie and I have been married for 26 years, and we are the proud and very busy parents of two daughters and a son—Peyton (16), Owen (12), and Anna (5). We currently live in northern Minnesota, not far from where my wife and I grew up. Living here provides easy access to the outdoors, which is a constant source of inspiration!
When not writing or hustling kids from one activity to another, I also enjoy photography. Numerous parallels exist between photography and musical composition; elements such as light, color, shading, and texture all play a substantial role in both disciplines. For me, composing music informs my photography and vice versa. I am grateful to have found another creative outlet to focus on when not making music.
I have dedicated my entire adult life to composing, conducting, and teaching music. Admittedly, making a career in music is not for the faint of heart. At times, it is exhausting! However, the thing that continues to excite me about our profession is collaboration. Musicians are among the most interesting, thoughtful, and empathetic individuals in our society. I have learned and grown from my time in the profession, I look forward to new opportunities membership in the American Bandmasters Association may provide.
