Three Rivers Community Band Festival

The Three Rivers Community Band Festival was begun in order to highlight the community bands in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area. The first festival, sponsored by the East Winds Symphonic Band, was presented on April 4, 2004 at the Upper St. Clair Theatre, and was a phenomenal success. The festival has since been an annual tradition each spring.

The Festival Band conductor for 2015 will be Marty Sharer.

Dr. Marty Sharer is a versatile music performer, educator, conductor, clinician and adjudicator in the areas of percussion, orchestra, band, and jazz. He is the director of bands and an assistant professor of music at California University of Pennsylvania, where he directs the marching band, concert band, and jazz ensemble as well as teaches courses for Cal U’s Commercial Music Technology degree. Dr. Sharer previously taught at Campbellsville University in Campbellsville, Kentucky where he served as an assistant professor of music, director of percussion studies, director of the jazz ensemble, and assistant director of the marching band. While teaching at Campbellsville University, Dr. Sharer was awarded the Kentucky Fourth District University Teacher of the Year Award. He has also held the position of director of bands at South Medford High School in Medford, Oregon and Warren East High School in Bowling Green, Kentucky. As a high school band director, his award-winning jazz ensembles were featured at the Sacramento and Medford Jazz Jubilees, and performed at the Reno and Lionel Hampton Jazz Festivals.

Dr. Sharer served six years as principal percussionist with the Owensboro Symphony Orchestra and two seasons as section percussionist with the Chicago Civic Orchestra. While a member of the Chicago Civic Orchestra, he performed in the infamous Symphony Hall of Chicago under the batons of some the world’s greatest conductors including Pierre Boulez, Daniel Barenboim, Mistlav Rostapovich, and John Adams. He has also performed with the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra, Britt Festival Orchestra, Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra, Bowling Green Chamber Orchestra, Illinois Symphony, Elmhurst Symphony, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Peninsula Music Festival, Kenosha Symphony, and the Eastern Philharmonic Orchestra.

Dr. Sharer has performed at Percussive Arts Society International Conventions, PAS Days of Percussion, College Band Director National Association Conventions, Music Educators State Conferences, the Rhythm Sticks Percussion Festival in London, and the Midwest Band and  Orchestra Clinic in Chicago.

As a recitalist, concerto soloist and chamber musician, Dr. Sharer has performed throughout Europe and the United States. His performance experience also includes studio-recording sessions for motion picture soundtracks, TV commercials, jazz and classical albums, and live performances in several jazz, pop, country and Latin groups.

Dr. Sharer frequently appears as a guest conductor for junior and senior high school honor band festivals, community bands, and recently appeared as guest conductor of the Washington Symphony Orchestra in Washington, PA. Dr. Sharer is a member of the Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity, and the Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society. He is a past president of the Pennsylvania Collegiate Bandmasters Association and was a co-host for the 2012 Pennsylvania Intercollegiate Band Festival at Cal U. Dr. Sharer received his Bachelor of Music degree in music education and performance from Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky and his Master of Music and Doctor of Music Degrees in percussion performance from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He currently resides in the Pittsburgh area with his wife, Ashley, and two sons, Cole and Owen.