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Justis MacKenzie at the premiere of the HBO live-to-picture event "For Love or Country"

Hello

I'm Justis. I'm a San Antonio-based music arranger, orchestrator, and composer. You might have heard my work being performed by the Henry Mancini Institute, international touring artist Haley Reinhart, 4-time Grammy winner Arturo Sandoval, American Idol champion Kris Allen, the Eastman Wind Ensemble, or the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

My Story

Born in Caddo Parish, Louisiana, I grew up in a military family and was raised primarily in San Antonio, Texas. I played tuba in my high school band and discovered a love of music and performing in high school marching band and in the Crossmen and Carolina Crown Drum & Bugle Corps. I went on to study music at the Eastman School of Music, where I earned my Bachelor of Music and a Performer's Certificate. My Master of Music came from Rice University, also in music performance. In 2014, I joined the musical stage phenomenon Blast! for a five-month tour of Japan. I joined the U.S. Air Force Bands in 2015 and continue to serve as a staff music arranger, with a few performances sprinkled here and there. Some of my favorites include the World Expo in Dubai, the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, the State Funeral of President George H.W. Bush, and concerts alongside the Chilean Military Bands in Santiago and Valparaiso!

In 2021, I became the first (and to date, only) music arranger licensed to arrange the concert band versions of the Disney Music Group's live-to-picture concert events. I worked as a transcriber and orchestrator on HBO's live-to-picture presentation of For Love or Country featuring 4-time Grammy winner Arturo Sandoval, and recently completed arrangements for international touring artist Haley Reinhart, bandleader and producer Tito Puente, Jr., and American Idol champion Kris Allen.

To hear some of these charts and other recent arranging and composing projects, head over to the Recordings page!

Contact

I always love a new project! Get in touch and let's get started!

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