Justin Giarrusso

Aural Theory

Email: jgiarrusso@usf.edu
Phone: (813) 974-0219
Office: MUS 301

Justin Giarrusso has taught Aural Skills at USF since 2019. He is a composer of contemporary classical music that appeals to diverse audiences, having written in chamber, choral, and orchestral genres. His music is characterized by an espousal of light textures and is driven by formal structure. The subject of Giarrusso’s works range from programmatic depictions of natural phenomena to purely musical explorations within a sound world.

Dr. Giarrusso is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University, (B.A. in Music Theory), the University of Louisville, (M.M. in Music Compoisition), and Florida State University (D.M. in Music Composition). He has studied under the guidance of Steve Rouse, Jennifer Jolley, Clint Needham, Jason Bahr, and Clifton Callender.

Dr. Giarrusso’s compositional work frequently involves collaboration across artistic fields and incorporates interdisciplinary thought. He composed an opera, “A World Apart,” in collaboration with Houston-based playwright Michael Weems. The opera was staged and premiered by the North American New Opera Workshop (NANOWorks Opera) in Ohio, and Juventas New Music Ensemble programmed part of the opera as a concert work in Boston.