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Rick Balestra

A black and white picture of Rick Balestra

Adjunct Instructor - Applied Guitar & Bass

Contact Information

Tyler Hall 030
315.312.2982
[email protected]

Office hours

Mondays by Appointment

Rick Balestra received his Masters Degree in Music from Ithaca College in 1992. He is the Professor of Guitar at SUNY Oswego, Syracuse University, Hamilton College and Cayuga Community College. As an active music educator and performer. He has performed as a featured soloist with the Syracuse Symphony and Pops Orchestra along with playing in the pit for the Syracuse Opera Company and all of the professional theater companies regionally in numerous productions. He has performed in a number of Local and Regional Jazz Festivals including the Syracuse M&T Jazz Festival, the SUNY Oswego Jazz Guitar Festival, Glenora Wine Jazz Series, Cornhill Festival and in Massachusetts the Northampton Jazz Festival.

Rick is the originator and facilitator for the Jazz Guitar & More Festival held at SUNY Oswego for about a 10-year span. The festival presented internationally known artists such as John Abercrombie, Pete Bernstein, Gene Bertoncini, Rodney Jones, Vic Juris, Jonathan Kriesberg, Julian Lage, Peter Leitch, Lage Lund and Mike Stern with too many others to list. Rick was fortunate to have the opportunity to perform with a few of these great guitarists

Currently Rick performs in many different settings from Gene Bertoncini & Rick Balestra Guitar Duo, an allKoriginal music group called Mescolare, a GuitarKBass Duo with Chris Colabello. Most recently with Cayuga Latin Jazz Project and when the opportunity presents itself occasionally freelancing with a number of the area's finest musicians

Formerly: Colgate University and Hamilton College

Member: IAJE and Guitar International Foundation

Education

B.A.: Syracuse University


M.M.: Ithaca College


Teachers:

Edward Flowers 
Steve Brown 
Pat Martino 
Ted Greene 


Classes Taught

Applied Guitar
Guitar Class
Guitar Ensemble