Co-Founder of PMAC, Executive Director – Composer and saxophonist Russ Grazier, Jr. is a native of Portsmouth, NH and has taught saxophone, composition, and music theory for over 25 years. In 2002 he co-founded PMAC with his wife Katie and mentor Wendell Purrington. In the years leading up to the creation of PMAC he taught at some of the most prestigious music schools in the country including Boston Conservatory, Roosevelt University (Chicago), the University of Chicago College, the New England Conservatory Preparatory School, and the Merit School of Music (Chicago). Russ has been composer-in-residence with Chicago’s CUBE Ensemble, and his music has been performed by the Contemporary Chamber Players of Chicago, the West End String Quartet, CUBE, Voices from the Heart, Duo Fujin, and many other ensembles and soloists. Russ was named 2016 Arts Advocate of the Year by New Hampshire Citizens for the Arts and is a past president of Art-Speak, the cultural commission for the city of Portsmouth, where he lives with his wife, Katie, and their two sons, Max and Jake.
