Frank Bencriscutto papers

Dr. Frank Peter Anthony Bencriscutto was known as a conductor, educator, and composer. A longtime Director of Bands at the University of Minnesota, Dr. Bencriscutto and the band toured the USSR for seven weeks in 1969, with a final performance at the White House. An avid jazz musician, performing on saxophone and clarinet, he is also credited with introducing jazz into the music curriculum at the University of Minnesota. After retiring in 1993, Dr. Bencriscutto soon joined the faculty at the Musashino Academia Musicae in Tokyo, Japan as a visiting professor and conductor of the wind ensemble until 1996. He was posthumously awarded the 1997 Medal of Honor by the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic. The collection consists of programs, articles, compositions, and recordings related to Bencriscutto's career.