KENNESAW, Ga. | Sep 15, 2025

When people imagine music majors, they often picture long hours spent in practice rooms, perfecting scales and preparing for the next performance. At Kennesaw State University’s Bobbie Bailey School of Music, however, students are proving that their education is much more than practice; it’s also groundbreaking research, cultural discovery and international collaboration.

This past summer, assistant professor of trumpet Dr. Stephen Wadsack and undergraduate student Brandon Hall turned the spotlight on a frequently overlooked area of music: Greek trumpet compositions. Their project, supported by KSU’s Undergraduate Research Symposium, consisted of an intensive eight-week study combining scholarship, performance and fieldwork abroad. 
 
Unearthing Forgotten Music 
 
Dr. Wadsack, who has spent the past two years studying the pedagogy and performance traditions of Greek trumpet masters, guided Hall through previously underperformed and—in some cases—completely unknown works; many were shelved after their premiere decades ago. “This music is highly underrepresented and almost all of it is not in circulation,” Wadsack explained. “We were looking at pieces that the broader music community doesn’t know exists.” 
 
The research goes beyond simply finding scores; it is an effort to preserve living history. With many of the original composers still alive, Wadsack began documenting oral histories, gathering context before it is lost. With the new energy boost the research received from the undergraduate grant this summer, they are now building a database to make this music accessible to future generations of performers and scholars. 

From Kennesaw to Corfu 
 
The project culminated in travel to Greece, where Hall and three other KSU students performed and studied at a music festival on the Island of Corfu. Each morning began with masterclasses, followed by evening rehearsals with the local Mantzaros Philharmonic under the direction of Sokratis Anthis. The week ended with an outdoor concert that brought KSU students and Greek musicians together on stage, for World Music Day. 
For Hall, who had never left the U.S. before, the experience was transformative. “Even traveling after Corfu in Athens and the Acropolis, music was everywhere,” he said. “The rocks are older than Jesus Christ; and the music connects it all. It was incredible.”

Research with Global Impact 

Hall, a senior trumpet performance major and president of KSU’s Trumpet Club, already has an impressive résumé. He has twice advanced to the National Trumpet Competition, with plans to compete again this year; a rigorous process that narrows thousands of submissions down to approximately fifty of the top collegiate trumpeters in the United States. Soon, he will feature this Greek repertoire in an upcoming senior recital. But Hall insists the most valuable part of this research was the freedom to explore deeply. “The grant gave me the opportunity to dive in and pursue leads rather than being constrained by geography,” he shared. 

For Wadsack, the project signals a shift in how we define research in the arts. “Within academia, research in STEM-related fields is often favored over other disciplines,” he noted. “So, to have a project focused on applied music be accepted into the university’s Summer Undergraduate Research Program is significant for the fine and performing arts, both here at KSU and beyond.” 

Beyond the Practice Room 

The work of Wadsack and Hall underscores an important truth: at KSU, our music faculty and students are not just performers, they are scholars, explorers, and cultural ambassadors. They are helping preserve global traditions while preparing to shape the future of their field. 

As Hall puts it, “I love music and learning all aspects of it. My time here and this research has shown me that performance and scholarship don’t have to be separate; they make each other stronger.” 

Top photo courtesy of Brandon Hall. Mantzaros Philharmonic, Corfu, Greece.

Bottom photo courtesy of Dr. Stephen Wadsack. Left to right: Ben Failor '25, Austin DeRosa '25, Dr. Stephen Wadsack, Brandon Hall, Evan Atwell