Dennis Cramer was recently awarded the College of Fine Arts Outstanding Alumni
Award for Service. Curtis A. Scheib, Dean of the College of Fine Arts of Indiana
University of Pennsylvania presented Cramer with the honor at an IUP Trombone
Ensemble concert on the IUP campus on April 25, 2021.
Mr. Cramer began taking trombone lessons at IUP in January of 1970, as a junior at
Kittanning Senior High School. He earned both his Bachelor of Science in Music
Education in 1975 and his Master of Arts in Music in 1982 from IUP. Mr. Cramer, a former
music teacher at Ford City High School accompanied students to IUP Honors Band for
many years and then began volunteering with the trombone studio in 1997. He has been
there ever since serving as a performer, composer, arranger, director, historian and guest
lecturer. He led the drive to create the Armstrong Concert Band Scholarship for
Trombone at IUP in 2002 and is a current member of the fundraising committee creating
the Christian Dickinson Fund for Trombone.
Mr. Cramer also has recorded six compact discs with the Keystone Wind Ensemble (IUP) and
has performed with the group in Pittsburgh, Indiana, Cincinnati and New York City. He
also performs with the Keystone Chamber Wind, an ensemble of IUP music faculty and
select music students. He has served as a musical ambassador for IUP and has worked on
organizing two trombone alumni reunions, a marching band reunion and has performed
in several jazz reunions.
Mr. Cramer and his wife Elizabeth met at IUP in 1972 and have performed together in a wide
variety of settings since then.
-Submitted by Mr. Dennis F. Cramer