With over 20 years of experience as a teaching artist and as an arts administrator, Brandon Vazquez brings a unique combination of experience to Bloomingdale School of Music. The son of blue collar parents and an alumnus of Bloomingdale, Mr. Vazquez learned about the value of financial aid, as he himself was the beneficiary of such aid in his study of music. Mr. Vazquez, who began playing the trumpet at age twelve, attended LaGuardia High School of Music and Art while also furthering his musical studies at the Juilliard School, Bloomingdale School of Music, Hunter College, and the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College. 

An alumnus of Bloomingdale’s Music Access Project (MAP), Mr. Vazquez returned to the school as the Director of MAP and Concert Manager in 2001, teaching music theory, coaching chamber music, advising students, and managing all faculty concerts. Mr. Vazquez was promoted soon after to Development Associate in 2005 and eventually to Director of Development in 2008, where he was responsible for leading Bloomingdale School of Music’s fundraising initiatives and for developing and maintaining active and productive relationships with board members, donors, and administration. Mr. Vazquez was promoted to Assistant Director in 2013 and alongside Executive Director Erika Floreska, oversaw daily operations at the school.  In 2016 Mr. Vazquez was selected by EmcArts as a New York City fellow for the Arts Leaders as Cultural Innovators (ALACI) program and was also the recipient of the Nancy Rupp Community Scholarship at Columbia Business School. In 2020, Mr. Vazquez was promoted to Senior Director and took a larger role at the school overseeing Operations and Administration, HR, IT, and special projects. A former instructor at the Grand Street Campus High Schools in Brooklyn, Brandon is also a highly esteemed trumpet faculty member at the Bloomingdale School of Music.