2018 Alumni Face Honoree: Dave Bamonte ‘81

Dave Bamonte, ’81 is a highly-accomplished professional trumpet player. He’s worked with world-renowned conductors Leonard Bernstein, Zubin Mehta, Seiji Ozawa and John Williams while performing with the Israel Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Boston Pops and New York and Vienna Philharmonics. He’s a 1978 graduate of North Syracuse High School who built the foundation for his career at OCC.

Bamonte last visited campus in the spring of 2017 and was thrilled to see the music department still had the creative energy and spirit from when he left. “I remember learning from them, particularly Dr. Kevin Moore and his wife Selma, who made time for questions and conversations at every turn which turned out to be just as important to my development as the lessons.” His visit also marked the first time he saw the state-of-the-art Academic II Building, which is the home of the College’s Music program. “This facility is amazing! I think it’s a tremendous investment for the institution to invest in the Arts and give the professionals of tomorrow the resources they need to excel at their craft.”

Bamonte went from OCC to the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, the New England Conservatory of Music and the Eastman School of Music. Today he is both a performer and a teacher, serving as Trumpet Professor at Portland State University and is also a member of the Oregon Symphony. He cherishes his memories from OCC and is deeply humbled by the Alumni Face Honor. “To be inducted with such an outstanding class and to share space on the Alumni Face wall with such a wide-array of high achieving alumni is truly special and one that I will never forget.”