By Abby Denault ’25

Jeffrey de Seriere II’s journey to music seemed almost fated, with a passion for music passed down from his grandfather.

“One of the reasons why our family moved to the United States from Holland is because my grandfather loved American jazz. He’s probably jazz’s greatest fan,” de Seriere said. “And when I chose band, I was going to originally play drums. Parents never want their kids to play drums. My grandfather influenced me, and I started on saxophone. I was really into it from the start, and it was a natural passion for me.”

It was a similar twist of fate that ended with de Seriere finding his place at Wartburg, where he serves as interim director of bands and visiting assistant professor. De Seriere was encouraged to consider Wartburg by a colleague, who was a director of bands at another institution.

“As soon as I’d worked with the Wind Ensemble for my audition, I knew that this was a pretty special place,” de Seriere said. “I like to tell people that, prior to May of this year, I did not even know Wartburg College existed and now I do. Now I’ve sort of fallen in love with the students and we’re doing some exciting things.”

Pursuing his doctorate at Northwestern University while also working as a director of bands and a professor is no easy task. It can be hard to find time to unwind and relax with a packed schedule. Luckily, de Seriere learned how to best use the early hours of his day.

“I’m cognizant about slowing down my mornings, so I’m not always in a rush,” de Seriere said. “I don’t drink coffee from a coffeemaker or a Keurig because that’s fast. I usually do like a Chemex pour-over coffee because the process takes longer, and I always need coffee in the morning.”

Outside of the classroom, especially in the summer, he can be found exploring the great outdoors. He also enjoys going to as many musical performances as possible to continue learning new things and finding inspiration.

Despite what one might assume, given his profession, de Seriere was not always a perfect student. One of the most influential lessons he learned was from his first band director, Dr. Joan deAlbuquerque, who refused to give up on him.

“I was in her conducting class, and she had a rule that if you missed three or more classes, you would fail,” de Seriere said. “I had some talent, so I thought she wouldn’t make a big deal about it because it wasn’t an issue for me to succeed. After I missed that third class, she sent me an email that I was going to fail. We later met and she shared her disappointment and gave me options to pass the class with a B. She wanted me to have the class under my belt, and the grace that she extended to me was a big deal.”

They met again at the Midwest Clinic in 2016, where she encouraged him to pursue a doctorate. DeAlbuquerque died in 2021 before she could see it come to fruition.

“The relationship meant a lot to me. Somebody saw the value in teaching me that lesson and saw the value in believing in me beyond that one experience,” de Seriere said. “It was a life challenge that certainly influenced my teaching.”

As an educator, de Seriere seeks to be there for students, especially those in the LGBTQ+ community, in a variety of ways.

“When I was a student, I didn’t have that many people or teachers who were out members of the queer community,” de Seriere said. “I wanted to share with the students that I’m a member of the queer community. I want the students who happen to be members of the community to know that there’s somebody here, and I felt really comfortable doing that here at Wartburg.”

He also wanted students to know the music program is a safe space for all students.

“I want to be supportive of those students. I want them to know that there is a future for them. Wartburg College is a place where they can be themselves, especially in the concert bands. They can show up to rehearsal being the most authentic version of themselves so they can make the best music possible.”