Chagrin Falls dad Mr. Jack Sutte is more than just a father of two. For work, Mr. Sutte plays trumpet for The Cleveland Orchestra, one of the world’s best. Mr. Sutte has been a part of TCO for 22 years, and is known to be a strong leader in the group. Mr. Sutte is married to Ms. Audra Zarlenga, and together they have two children at CFHS, Louie and Maya. 

Mr. Sutte grew up in a very musical household, with his father playing multiple instruments, and his mother teaching piano at their home. 

In his early years, he took the time to fully immerse himself in the arts by studying “voice, dance, violin, trumpet, and piano,”. 

Mr. Sutte said that “a series of successive summer high school music camp experiences” is when he knew that the music field was for him. These summer events run by the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Program also helped him decide that trumpet was the instrument that he wanted to base his career off of. Although Mr. Sutte is a very busy man, with both his family, and career, he does a good job of balancing the two. 

He says “There always seems to be enough time,” when it comes to getting stuff done in both his professional and personal life. It’s not all him though. 

He credits his wife for being the “President, Executive Director, and Managing Boss,” of their family. When asked about his favorite memory of his time in TCO, Mr. Sutte said there are a lot that come to mind, but the day he was awarded the role in the group stands out. 

“I was so happy and knew it was forever life-changing,” he added. Outside of his day job, Mr. Sutte stays busy. He is currently playing in a trio called Factory Seconds, along with two other TCO members. With this group, he tours around the country, doing masterclasses and concerts at universities and highschools. Around the house, Mr. Sutte enjoys spending time outside. It helps him relax, and he feels at home in nature.  The Cleveland Orchestra is a very diverse group of musicians, and with that, Mr. Sutte has learned to be kind and understanding of all backgrounds.

He called TCO, “a microcosm of the great big world”.

Mr. Sutte and his wife try their best to maintain a positive relationship with their children’s friends. 

CFHS junior Tyler Saccone has been a close family friend of the Sutte family for years , and has gotten to know Mr. Sutte very well. 

“I have a lot of respect for Mr. Sutte because he’s a very fun person to talk to, a great dad, and has an interesting job,” Saccone said. He also noted that even though Mr. Sutte is very dedicated to his job, it’s clear that he puts his family first, and enjoys being a dad. 

CFHS junior JP Zimmer, a close friend of Louie, has done landscaping work for the Suttes, and spent a lot of time at their home. 

“Mr. Sutte is a really nice guy, and he has a cool job. I want to learn more about it in the future,” Zimmer said.