Craig Skeffington

Craig Skeffington has been an active New England composer, arranger and educator for three decades with music in the jazz, marching and wind band genres. A high school band director since 1992, Craig was the 2003 MMEA Teacher of the Year and is currently on the faculty of the University of Southern Maine as an instructor in applied jazz arranging. His published pieces with the Neil A. Kjos Music Company, Alfred/Belwin Jazz and CL Barnhouse have appeared in the International Association of Jazz Educators and NYSSMA manuals and consistently receive “Editor’s Choice” in the JW Pepper music catalog. In 2007 and again in 2010, his music was performed at the prestigious Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, Ill. He is both a past president of the Maine Band Directors Association and jazz activities chair for the Maine Music Educators Association. Craig is currently serving MMEA as the instrumental jazz chairperson and at the national level with NAFME as the Eastern Division representative.

As a trumpet player Craig has played with Barry Manilow, the Glenn Miller Orchestra, Natalie Cole, Johnny Mathis, Colin Raye, The Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra from Washington D.C., Kris Berg and the Metroplexity Big Band (from Dallas TX) and toured nationally with the Artie Shaw Orchestra. As a soloist, he has appeared with Grammy award winning artists Wayne Bergeron, Eric Marienthal and Bob Mintzer as well as Grammy nominated artist Bobby Shew.

Locally, he works with the Seacoast Big Band, the Portland Jazz Orchestra and the Larry Williams Band. Craig lives in South Portland with his wife Carrie and their two daughters, Hannah and Molly. His music can be found on the Portland Jazz Orchestra’s latest CDs – “Nor Easter” and “Generations” available on iTunes and CD baby.