Dr. Joe Walczyk is a freelance musician, teacher, audio technician, and composer/arranger based in West Virginia. He earned his undergraduate degree from Central Connecticut State University, Master’s in Trumpet performance with a secondary focus in Theory/Composition from Southern Illinois University - Carbondale, and his Doctorate in Trumpet Performance from West Virginia University, where he served as the Trumpet Studio Graduate Teaching Assistant and Director of WVU’s Jazz Ensemble 2.
As a performer, Dr. Walczyk performs with orchestral and commercial ensembles around the country, including second trumpet with the Altoona Symphony Orchestra, co-principal trumpet with the Southern Illinois Music Festival Orchestra, Akron Symphony, Wheeling Symphony, West Virginia Brass Quintet, and Flight 66, a WV based rock/cover band. He is also a founding member of Cinematic Brass, a virtual brass ensemble who has many recordings, including NBC’s Big Ten Saturday Night Theme for the 2023 season and the Seattle Kraken’s theme song “Into the Deep.”
Dr. Walczyk started his DCI career with 7th Regiment from 2010-2013. He then went on to the Bluecoats in 2015 and 2016 for their first world championship. As a DCI instructor, he has taught visual and brass with 7th regiment (2017), and The Academy where he served as a Trumpet Tech in 2025 and Lead Trumpet Tech in 2026.
He currently lives in West Virginia with his partner and their wonderful cats Spirit, Patchy, Zebra Cake, Onigiri, and Magpie.