Trumpeter, educator and administrator Alexander Serio ’09 (Bachelor of Music in Performance) was recently appointed interim executive director of Juneau Jazz & Classics, a nonprofit organization that hosts a major jazz annual music festival and other programs featuring jazz, blues and classical music in Alaska. He joins the organization as it prepares to launch its landmark 40th anniversary season. Serio succeeds executive director Sandy Fortier, who is stepping away after many years of leadership with Juneau Jazz & Classics while continuing to serve as a consultant through Juneau Jazz Fest in February 2026.

A proven leader in the performing arts with deep roots in music education and festival presenting, Serio currently serves as executive director of the Sitka Music Festival, which he will continue to lead along with his new role with Juneau Jazz & Classics. He has guided the Sitka Music Festival to remarkable growth in close partnership with Grammy Award-winning cellist Zuill Bailey, who serves as artistic director of both the Sitka Music Festival and Juneau Jazz & Classics. Under Serio’s leadership at Sitka, the festival has achieved a 51% increase in summer festival ticket sales from 2023 to 2025, a 200% surge in autumn and winter classics subscriptions, and a 36% rise in individual giving. In 2024, Musical America Worldwide named him one of its Top 30 Professionals of the Year.

Before Sitka, Serio was director of the Wynnefield Branch of Settlement Music School in Philadelphia — one of the oldest and largest community schools of the arts in the United States — and founded the Ictus International Music Competition, which attracted 500 trumpet applicants from 25 countries and featured a jury of principal trumpet players from the world’s leading orchestras. A classically trained trumpeter with a master’s degree in trumpet performance from Towson University, Serio has performed as a substitute trumpet player with several regional East Coast orchestras.

“I am deeply passionate about the transformative power of music to connect, heal, and inspire,” said Serio. “I am so excited to work alongside Artistic Director Zuill Bailey, the board of directors and the Juneau community to carry out Juneau Jazz & Classics’ mission through world-class concerts, purposeful education, and meaningful community engagement as we celebrate the organization’s 40th anniversary.”

“I am excited to have Alex as our interim executive director as we begin our 40th season of Juneau Jazz & Classics,” said Kristin Garot, board president. “His stewardship of the Sitka Music Festival demonstrated to our board that, as we say goodbye to Sandy Fortier after her many years of dedicated leadership, Alex will be able to step in and seamlessly work in collaboration with Zuill to continue connecting our community with world-class music.”

About Juneau Jazz & Classics

Under Artistic Director Zuill Bailey, Juneau Jazz & Classics (JJ&C) is a music festival that builds community through adventurous musical experiences, purposeful arts education and comprehensive community involvement with professional musicians. Founded in 1987 by violinist Linda Rosenthal and jazz coordinator Bob Banghart, the festival has grown into a premier Alaskan celebration of classical, jazz and blues, having presented such luminaries such as the Dave Brubeck Quartet, Diana Krall, Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, Manhattan Transfer, Cyrus Chestnut, the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Midori, JACK Quartet, Mavis Staples, Taj Mahal Trio, Dirty Dozen Brass Band and more. Each May, and through year-round programming, JJ&C delivers high-quality performances, educational concerts, workshops and outreach that reach people of all ages, abilities and economic backgrounds across Southeast Alaska. Visit juneaujazzandclassics.org for more information.