Bio

Dr. John Falskow is Director of Instrumental Music at Tacoma Community College, where he also has served as Chair of the Music Department and as the Dean of the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Division.  As a tenured professor of music, and director of instrumental music -  John conducts the TCC Orchestra, TCC Symphonic Band, and teaches a wide variety of classes in the college music curriculum.  In addition to duties at TCC, John is the conductor of the Seattle Wind Symphony, Puget Sound Youth Wind Ensemble, and Brass Band Tacoma.  Falskow is an active conductor, music educator, and trumpeter in the Northwest region.

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John’s connection to the trumpet and brass instrument family has influenced his activities.  For nine years John was the conductor of PugetBrass – a Seattle based British brass band.  For most of the last 21 years John has conducted Brass Unlimited –  a 15 piece brass and percussion ensemble.  John has also guest conducted with many brass ensembles and brass bands in the Pacific Northwest.  In March 2018, John was the featured guest conductor and clinician at the Northwest Brass Festival.  In the fall of 2018, John founded Brass Band Tacoma – a British style brass band based in Tacoma.  As a cornet player, John performed with Kansas City’s Fountain City Brass Band when they won the 2016 North American Brass Band Championships.

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As a guest conductor, John has made numerous appearances, including: Washington Wind Symphony, Tacoma Concert Band, Northwest Mahler Festival Orchestra, Bremerton Symphony, Tacoma Youth Symphony Association, Tallahassee Youth Symphony, the Big Bend Community Orchestra, and at the Evergreen Music Festival.  John has also worked with countless school ensembles throughout the Southeast and the Pacific Northwest, as a clinician and adjudicator.

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Prior to these activities, John served as an Assistant Professor of Music at Lander University in Greenwood, South Carolina.  He was also the band director at Mason Middle School, in Tacoma.  John has degrees from Florida State University (Ph.D.), University of Puget Sound (M.A.T.), and Washington State University (BA in Music).  Key people in John’s education include Gerald Webster (WSU trumpet), Clifford Madsen (FSU Music Education), and James Croft (FSU Director of Bands).

John has lots of interests beyond music.  He loves to cook for family and friends, and is known for: improvised recipes, great BBQ pulled pork, and generous bartending skills.  He also loves hiking with his family and friends, fly-fishing on Puget Sound, and geeking out over music technology and hip-hop history.

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John and his his wife, clarinetist Dr. Cindy Renander have a happy and busy house with three children.