Birthday: 08/27/1982

Instruments in Suspyre: Guitars, saxophones, Chapman Stick, Viola da Gamba

Gear:

Other instrument knowledge: Bassoon, Clarinet, Piano

Influences: Andromeda, Angra, J.S. Bach, Bela Bartok, Blind Guardian, Michael Brecker, John Coltrane, Chick Corea, Claude Debussy, Dream Theater, Frank Gambale, Freak Kitchen, Allan Holdsworth, Ron Jarzombek, Kiko Loureiro, Gustav Mahler, Mattias IA Eklundh, Messuggah, Pain of Salvation, Charlie Parker, Harry Partch, John Petrucci, Opeth, Arnold Schoenberg, Spastic Ink, Spiral Architect, Igor Stravinsky, Edgard Varése, Zero Hour...

Favorite album of all time: I can't pick one, but I'll provide of list of albums/pieces of which I can never get tired:
Andromeda - II = I
Angra - Rebirth
Blind Guardian - Nightfall in Middle Earth
Dream Theater - Awake and Images and Words
Opeth - Ghost Reveries
Harry Partch - Delusion of the Fury
Pain of Salvation - Remedy Lane and The Perfect Element part. 1
Igor Stravinsky - The Rite of Spring
Edgard Varése - Arcana

Favorite food: Sushi, Thai, Hibachi, Friendly's

Favorite drink: Water, Milk, Green Tea

Favorite color: Black, Blue

Spare time: Writing and playing music, getting more clients into Erypsus Studios, reading, World of Warcraft (on occasion!)

TV shows: [adult swim], especially Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job!

Movies: Lord of the Rings, Office Space, This is Spinal Tap, When Harry Met Sally. I'm not picky with movies.

Books: Harry Potter series, atlases, almanacs

Gregg Rossetti (B.A., M.A.) has been involved in music for almost his entire life. At the age of two, he asked his parents for a toy tuba. After an unsuccessful search, they returned home with a toy saxophone instead. This, and watching Zoot play with the Muppets band, helped Gregg make the decision to take up saxophone at age ten. He played in the school band (and later the orchestra and jazz band) in middle school. He also began to study the clarinet and piano at this time. He started learning guitar again (after unsuccessful lessons a few years prior) at the end of eighth grade in order to start up an alternative metal band, Swarm.

In high school, Gregg gained a lot of his musical knowledge from Rick Bergacs, from whom he studied saxophone, clarinet, and bassoon. During the last two years of high school Gregg played in Entity, a power/thrash metal band, which produced music that later became Suspyre songs. This is when he started to discover some of the music that he listens to today.

While at Muhlenberg College, Gregg studied classical guitar (William Newman), viola da gamba (Dr. Ted Conner), jazz guitar (Tom Kozic), piano (Annie Petit), bassoon (Kim Seifert), and composition (with Dr. Douglas Ovens). He was also president of the ‘Berg Organization of Music (BOOM).

He began teaching both as a theory tutor and at Viva Music Studios during his senior year at Muhlenberg. After graduating Gregg began teaching at Spotlight Music, where he still currently gives lessons.

At the John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University (where he was inducted into the Alpha Epsilon Lambda honor society) he studied composition with Dean Drummond for one year and Dr. Robert Aldridge for another. He also had two semesters of private guitar instruction (Steven Benson). He participated in the Harry Partch Ensemble (where he played zoomoozophone, harmonic canon, adapted guitars I & II, diamond marimba, and cloud chamber bowls). This ensemble plays microtonal music, mostly written by Harry Partch, but also has performed a piece written by Gregg, among other contemporary composers.

Awards:

1996: 1st chair tenor saxophone Region II Intermediate Band
1997: 2nd chair tenor saxophone Region II Intermediate Band
1997: Recipient of the “Music Award”
2001: Recipient of the “Music Technology Award”
2005: Recipient of the “Stanley D. Sloyer Award in Music”
2007: Recipient of the “Outstanding Composer Award”