Faculty & Staff

Vincent LoRusso is a conductor, educator, performer, and clinician with over twenty-five years of experience leading bands, orchestras, and jazz ensembles of all levels. Mr. LoRusso currently serves as the Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Northeastern Youth Wind Ensemble, Director of Bands at Blue Ridge High School in New Milford, PA, Director of the Marywood University Jazz Ambassadors, Director of the Marywood Summer Music Academy, and as Associate Conductor and Committee Chairman of the Pennsylvania Lions All-State Band.

As Chairman of the Lions All-State Band, Mr. LoRusso organizes yearly performances of the band (available to students at no cost) at the PA State Lions Convention. When held in North America, the Band assembles for performance tours to the Lions International Convention, providing students from across the Commonwealth opportunities to share and create music with 150 other students from Pennsylvania. In 2024, for his 26 years of work with Band, Mr. LoRusso was awarded the Lions Clubs International President's Award for Leadership, the third-highest award presented in Lionism.

Mr. LoRusso's conducting credits include Performance Tours of Italy, Spain, Detroit, Minneapolis, Chicago, Las Vegas, Orlando, Toronto, Boston, Nashville, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and Carnegie Hall. From 2016-2018 he held the Director of Bands position at East Stroudsburg University. He is a four-time recipient of the National Band Association Citation of Excellence and holds degrees from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and Marywood University. He has studied conducting with Robert Garofalo, Ph.D., Kate Tamarkin D.M.A, Robert Zellner, and F. David Romines Ph.D.

When there is time away from the podium, Mr. LoRusso is an active performer, including leading his own eight-piece Bavarian Brass Band, the Schützengiggles Oompah Band at various venues along the east coast. He participated in the 2023 Saluting America's Band Directors Marching Band in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City with 425 other directors from across the United States. He is an obsessive (read: frustrated) NY Yankees and NY Giants fan – devoted husband to the most patient and understanding wife the world has ever seen, Maria – and the biggest supporter of his 9-year-old wonderkid (and beginning flute student), Cecilia.

Mr. LoRusso has been a member of the Northeastern staff since its inception in 2015. He is excited to embrace his new role alongside Ms. Hopkins as they lead the Ensemble into its next chapter.