A passionate advocate for adult music education and volunteerism in the arts, Mr. Villani has been deeply involved in community music organizations since moving to Northern Virginia in 1986. He spent 10 years as associate conductor and clarinetist for the Reston Chamber Orchestra and has participated in countless performances across the region. An active judge and clinician for music festivals and competitions, he was honored by the Virginia Senate in 2018 for his leadership during MSO’s 25th season. His conducting achievements have earned national recognition, including being a semi-finalist for The American Prize for Community Orchestra Conductors (2010) and a finalist for The American Prize in Orchestral Programming / Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award (2019–2020).

A native of New Castle, Pennsylvania, Mr. Villani discovered his passion for music at age eight when he began playing the clarinet. Like many young musicians in his hometown, he honed his skills in the back room of Al Colella’s Shoe Store, where Colella—while tending to customers—trained generations of clarinetists. In high school, he studied with Carl Marks, a distinguished faculty member at Duquesne University and the Dana School of Music, who was himself a student of the legendary Daniel Bonade. Mr. Villani went on to earn dual Bachelor’s degrees in Clarinet Performance and Music Education from Penn State University, where he performed in every major ensemble—from the renowned Blue Band to the Symphony Orchestra. Highlights of his time at PSU include performing at four major bowl games, playing tenor saxophone in Disney’s All-American College Marching Band for the grand opening of EPCOT, and performing with the Pittsburgh Symphony under Michael Tilson Thomas.

Mr. Villani earned his Master of Music in Conducting from Northwestern University, studying with the legendary John P. Paynter while serving as a graduate assistant for the university’s wind ensembles. In a unique opportunity for a conducting major, he also played bass clarinet in the top wind ensemble alongside future symphony musicians. His mentors included Clark Brody, former principal clarinetist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Fritz Reiner, and renowned composer Alan Stout. A former band director and music theory teacher, Mr. Villani taught in public schools in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Virginia, including at Stonewall Jackson (now Unity Reed) High School in Manassas. In addition to his musical endeavors, he serves on the Board of Directors for the Ferde Grofé Foundation and works as a Senior Manager of Software Engineering at Capital Financial One in McLean.