Don Gardo

Don Gardo, bass trombone, lives in Shaler Township with his lovely wife Elizabeth in the North Hills of Pittsburgh.  Before coming to Pittsburgh, Don lived in Boston, Chicago and Atlanta, which he calls "home".  Howeve,r he is a native of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. 
Don graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree from Georgia State University in Atlanta where he studied with members of the Atlanta Symphony, Harry Maddox and Michael Moore.  Other influential teachers include members of the Chicago Symphony, Charles Vernon, Edward Kleinhammer, and most importantly, Arnold Jacobs. 
Don has performed with the Atlanta Symphony, Savannah Symphony, and the Spoleto Festival Orchestra in Charleston, South Carolina and Spoleto, Italy.  As well, he’s played with the Ritz Carlton Orchestra, the Colorado Philharmonic, and was the principal trombonist with the Virginia Symphony.
His musical experience includes working with Ray Charles, Skitch Henderson, Peter Nero, Henry Mancini and Doc Severinson.  Don's other musical influences and favorites include Bill Watrous, Pat Metheny, Frank Sinatra and Kurt Elling.
Currently, Don's "day job" is an Information Technology consultant in the Pittsburgh area.  Don’s teenage son, Jordan, is a budding drummer. Along with the family pet, Deisel the Dachshund, Don loves boating and just about anything related to the outdoors.
BRUSH WITH FAME:  "In the early 1980's while free-lancing in Atlanta, I played a show with Bob Hope for Avon.  We were both standing back-stage before the show, not two feet apart from each other.  I looked at him and he was wearing a skirt and apron.  He looked back at me and said, 'It's amazing what we'll do for a living, isn't it?'"
Don performs on a Bach  50BT2  Bass Trombone, using a Griego NY 1 mouthpiece. He’s been a member of the Trinity organization since the summer of 2004.