Bruce Pingree
​Bruce Pingree is the general manager of The Press Room in downtown Portsmouth, where he has worked since 1980. There he helps showcase local musicians with live jazz, blues, folk, R&B and Latin jazz performances seven nights a week. Pingree also hosts a blues show on WUNH-FM every Sunday and Tuesday. A well-known advocate for music and the arts, Pingree has been honored with lifetime achievement awards from both the Portsmouth Herald and Blues Bank Collective. Citizens Bank and WMUR-TV have named Bruce Pingree the “Heart of Your City” for his outstanding commitment to the city of Portsmouth, and his story, which highlights the positive impact he has made in the community, has been featured on the program NH Chronicle in 2012.

“My dad was an actor and director for the Concord Community Players, so I developed a respect and passion for the arts early on,” said Pingree. “I think it is so important to keep music and the arts alive in our local communities and inspire our youth to do so as well. It helps our neighborhoods become more vibrant and culturally diverse.”

Pingree is involved with many local nonprofit organizations and initiatives and was one of the founders of WSCA Portsmouth Community Radio and served on the board of directors for 10 years. He has also been active in organizing local cultural events, including the Jazzmouth Poetry & Jazz Festival, RPM International Music Challenge and the Portsmouth Halloween Parade.