About Stefan Gaspar:

Stefan's musical life started with mandatory piano lessons at age 6.

He was 11 years old when he listened to an outdoor concert in Cervo, a small village on the Italian Riviera. He was blown away by the deep resonant sound of the bassoon. When he inquired he had to start with the clarinet instead. His Teacher played with the symphony but had no sense of humor.

At age 15 Stefan started to learn guitar from a guy who drove a lime green VW bug and had long hair. The first tune he learned was the DuDa song from Looney Tunes, his second song was "Lola."

He was 17 years old when a Billy Joel album inspired him to learn the saxophone. He took lessons from a British Dixieland musician in Munich.

At age 19 he got serious about his music and took the trip across the ocean to study at Musician's Institute in Hollywood, CA; at that time it was called the Guitar Institute of Technology. Stefan vividly remembers somebody who passed him by on Hollywood Boulevard carriying a live boa constrictor around his neck. Welcome to America!

In search of more musical training Stefan enrolled at Berklee College of Music in Boston. He studied sax with Joe Viola, composition and arranging with Herb Pomeroy, improvisation with Charlie Banacos and Jerry Bergonzi (his favorite teacher).

After that, Stefan's musical career took many detours. Today, Stefan enjoys his musical dreams through his band, the Jazz Factory. Stefan performs with his band as part of the Nebraska Arts Council Touring Program in towns and cities all over Nebraska. Most recently he played with Jerry Bergonzi at "Jazz in June" at the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery, University of Nebraska, Lincoln.