Faculty Spotlight: Jacob Pleakis
Jacob Pleakis teaches piano and coaches ensembles in Church Street’s Rock the House program. Energetic and always in demand, Jacob has been on the CSSMA faculty since 2008. For our first interview in a new series with CSSMA teaching artists and faculty, Jacob was interviewed by Director of Music Toby Wine.
TW: So, you went to Purchase College, is that right?
JP: Yes, I did an undergrad in jazz studies there. I graduated in 2006 and then I went right to NYU where I did a graduate degree in composition and film scoring. I studied with a lot of different teachers, including Justin Dello Joio, who is a very good composer and orchestrator, and Ira Newborn, who did a lot of movies in the 80’s and 90’s, things like The Naked Gun and the Ace Ventura movies, the John Hughes movies – a lot of comedies.
TW: You’re originally from the Buffalo area?
JP: I am, I’m from Olean, about an hour and a half south of Buffalo. Read more →
