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PETE MALINVERNI

PETE MALINVERNI, is a renowned pianist, composer, and educator who has been a fixture on the New York City jazz scene since moving there in the early 1980s from his hometown of Niagara Falls, where he started Classical Piano studies at the age of six.

First influenced by gospel music he heard in his local church, he would listen to his mother sing solos and later he would play piano for the congregation. In high school, he played in funk/rock bands, mentored by the NFHS band/choir director-pianist Douglas Monroe, and also privately instructed by Niagara Falls Music Hall of Famer, Ron Corsaro. Pete attended the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, and earned his Masters from the Purchase Conservatory of Music.

Moving to NYC in 1981, he quickly became known for his work with jazz trios. Throughout his time in NYC, Pete has established performing, recording and inspirational contact with a host of masters on the scene, including Joe Lovano, Vernel Fournier, Charles Davis, Dennis Irwin, Leroy Williams, Mel Lewis, Karrin Allyson, Steve Wilson and many others.

He has collaborated with larger ensembles featuring Tim Hagans, Rich Perry, Joe Magnarelli, and Ralph Lalama and has recorded multiple albums as a bandleader. These collaborations happened in studios and on stages like Carnegie Recital Hall, the Caramoor Festival, the Piccolo Spoleto Festival, the Rome Music and Image Festival, the Santiago (Chile) Jazz Festival and others, as well as in New York's great clubs, such as the Village Vanguard, Birdland, the Blue Note, the Village Gate, Bradley's, Smalls and Mezzrow. Pete has recorded 16 times as a leader, a solo piano, piano/violin duet, trio, quartet, quintet, big band and choral contexts.

All of his recordings have been received by critics and the public alike and have been seen/heard with heavy airplay on all platforms, from the radio to the internet. Pete’s contributions to music extend beyond performance. He served on the faculties of NYU, William Paterson University and SUNY Purchase, where he currently chairs the Jazz Studies program.

He has received the Marc Crawford Jazz Educators Award, and has been supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and Meet the Composer Foundation. These experiences, along with his work in inspirational settings with the Devoe Street Baptist Church in Brooklyn (Minister of Music for 18 years), the Westchester Reform Temple in Scarsdale, NY (Pianist and Conductor) and the Pound Ridge Community Church (Director of Music), have convinced him that music must be treated as a sacred gift, to be passed on freely to fellow musicians and listeners, with passionate control.

Throughout his career, he has remained a dedicated advocate for the power of music to inspire, educate, and connect people. We are thrilled to welcome Pete Malinverni into the Niagara Falls Music Hall of Fame

PETE MALINVERNI
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