Biography

Rich Pellegrin is Associate Professor of Music Theory and Affiliate Associate Professor of the Center for Arts, Migration, and Entrepreneurship. He previously taught music history, theory, jazz, and improvisation at the University of Missouri and at the University of Washington.

Pellegrin’s research examines the significance of the Salzerian analytical tradition with respect to both the classical and jazz idioms. He has presented research at numerous regional, national, and international conferences. His work has been published in Jazz Perspectives, Intégral, ZGMTH (Journal of the Society for Music Theory, Germany), Engaging Students: Essays in Music Pedagogy, the Journal of Schenkerian Studies, and The Conversation; published in volumes by the University of Florida Press (forthcoming), Vernon Press, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, and KFU Publishing House; and featured in the NPR segment The Academic Minute. Pellegrin recently served as Guest Editor of a special issue of Jazz Perspectives devoted to John Coltrane.

As a jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader, he has released five albums on Origin Records. His record Down was reviewed in Downbeat Magazine, which described "moments of absolute bliss" and wrote, "Pellegrin does as the great pianists do, supplying encouragement and graceful touches in the background, before diving forward to take solos that are by turns florid and cracked, balletic and modern." He is currently working on a multi-volume solo project.

Dr. Pellegrin holds degrees from Oberlin College, Kent State University, and the University of Washington.