Staff Sergeant Mike Gillespie joined The United States Army Field Band in 2020. He earned a Master of Music degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Oklahoma. Prior to joining the Army Field Band, SSG Gillespie served as trumpet professor at Campbell University. He toured the globe with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, Shrek the Musical global tour, and two runs of Elf the Musical. As a freelancer, he has performed with the Platters, the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus, and numerous other ensembles including brass bands, chamber music, big bands, top 40 bands, and recording studio sessions as an arranger, producer, and performer. SSG Gillespie’s primary teachers include Jim Ketch, Karl Sievers, and Mark Clodfelter, with additional studies with Carl Saunders, Charley Davis, and Tom Hooten.