Anthony C. Marinello, III serves as Director of Bands at Illinois State University where he is the conductor and music director of the Illinois State University Wind Symphony and Symphonic Winds. In addition to his conducting responsibilities, he leads the graduate wind conducting program and teaches courses in instrumental conducting. He joins the faculty at Illinois State University from The University of Texas at Austin, where he is currently completing the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in wind conducting. Before pursuing his graduate studies at The University of Texas, he served on the faculty of the Butler School of Music as Assistant Director of the Longhorn Band, Director
of the Longhorn Pep Band, and Assistant to the Director of Bands. Prior to his appointment at The University of Texas, Marinello served on the faculty of Virginia Tech as Assistant Director of Athletic Bands.
Marinello has previously taught in the public schools of Louisiana, Ohio, and Texas. Marinello received invitations to the National Band Association’s 2006 Young Conductor Mentor Project and 2008 International Conductors Symposium in Rome, Italy where he conducted La Banda dell’Esercito (Italian Army Band). In 2011, he received an invitation to the West Point Conducting Workshop where he conducted the West Point Band. Marinello holds the Bachelor of Music Education degree from Louisiana State University and the Master of Music Degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
Nikk Pilato
Associate Director of Bands, Director of Athletic Bands—Indiana State University
Nikk Pilato was appointed to the faculty at Indiana State University in 2015, where he serves as Associate Director of Bands, Director of Athletic Bands, teaches courses in the Music Education curriculum, and contributes to the University’s mission through teaching, conducting, research, service, and scholarly/creative endeavours.
He has previously held similar positions at the high school and university level in the states of California, Florida, and Georgia. Pilato earned the Bachelor of Music Education, a Master of Music Education, and a Ph.D. in Conducting and Music Education from the Florida State University College of Music in Tallahassee, Florida, where his primary conducting teachers were Richard Clary, Patrick Dunnigan, and Jim Croft.
In 2008 Pilato founded the Wind Repertory Project (
www.windrep.org), a comprehensive online database of wind literature expanded by user contributions, much like Wikipedia. The database includes detailed information such as instrumentation, program notes, errata, study resources, articles, commercially available recordings, and more. In the seven years since its inception, the WRP has amassed over 7000 user-submitted entries, and has been visited ten million times. Of particular interest is the music of Joseph Schwantner: Pilato’s doctoral dissertation -a study of Schwantner’s music for winds- included a transcription of the composer’s “New Morning for the World,” now published by Schott-Helicon. In 2012, he established a consortium of 32 organizations to commission Schwantner’s newest work for winds, “Luminosity: Concerto for Wind Orchestra.” Luminosity was premiered by Pilato and the Emory Wind Ensemble on 24 April 2015, with the composer in residence.
Pilato maintains a busy profile as a guest conductor, adjudicator, clinician, drill designer, and music arranger. He holds memberships in IMEA (Indiana Music Educators Association), CBDNA (College Band Directors National Association), NAfME (National Association for Music Education), NBA (National Band Association), WASBE (World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles), the Conductor’s Guild, the College Music Society, and is an honorary brother of Kappa Kappa Psi.
