about

Mike Pendowski’s career has encompassed a wide variety of musical styles and venues. He has composed, arranged, and produced award-winning music for TV and radio commercials. over twenty albums; scored for off-Broadway productions, film projects, Industrials, animated features, and video games, including John Madden Football, NCAA football, and the Walking Dead App; created competition-winning arrangements for competitive marching shows; and original fight songs for Robert Morris College and Deep Run High School.
Michael is a prominent composer in the educational field—publishing dozens of compositions for the full spectrum of ensembles available in today’s schools and universities. His jazz compositions are at the forefront of the field. In 2003, he was commissioned by the Illinois Music Educators Association to write the Allstate Jazz composition for the State of Illinois, and in 2009 conducted the Pennsylvania Allstate Jazz Ensemble. He has appeared as a conductor, performer and presenter at the Midwest Band and Orchestral Clinic and the Alabama Music Educators Convention.
Dr. Pendowski has worked extensively as a freelance performer, appearing with Michael Feinstein, Natalie Cole, Johnny Mathis, Aretha Franklin, Carol Lawrence, George Shearing, Ray Charles, Lionel Hampton, the Four Freshmen, and The Jazz Orchestra of America.
In addition to these professional activities, he has served on its board of governors for N.A.R.A.S and is a member of the AFM. He currently serves on the board for the Auburn Knights Orchestra.
Michael Pendowski is currently the Director of the Jazz Ensemble and Assistant Professor of Saxophone at Auburn University. He is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music with a DMA in Jazz and Contemporary Media, and Northwestern University with Masters in Conducting and Bachelors in Music Education.
Films Contributed to
Dead Presidents
Groundhog Day
The restoration of Orson Welles' Othello
Our Father
Arrangements performed by
Northwestern University
University of Delaware
Southwest Missouri State
University of Colorado
Compositions
performed in
United States
Europe
South America
Asia
Previously Taught at
Eastman School of Music
VanderCook College of Music
Northwestern University
DePaul University
Harper Community College,
Wheaton-Warrenville High School
performed with
Michael Feinstein
Natalie Cole
Johnny Mathis
Aretha Franklin
Carol Lawrence
George Shearing
Ray Charles
the Four Freshmen
Awards Received
American Library Award—"Michelangelo”
American Library Award—“Rembrandt”
Golden Lion—State Farm “Their World”
Original Video Game music for
John Madden Football EAC
NCAA Football and Basketball EAC
The Walking Dead App; Topps.
Music
Upcoming Album: Hot Sonate
Hot Sonate is the first classical album released by Dr. Pendowski. It features Dr. Pendowski on Alto Saxophone and Dr. Jeremy Samolesky on piano. The CD is a collection of classical literature that is heavily influenced by jazz and jazz pieces arranged in a classical idiom. The CD features works by Kapustin, Schulhoff, Willams, and Dorsey. It was recorded at Chicago Recording Company in Chicago, engineered by Dennis Tousana of Absolute Audio, and assisted by Jonathan Lackey. It will be available on Albany Records in September, 2020.

Original Compositions
Original Arrangements
Video Tracks











