On hold with Excela? A Pittsburgh man wrote that song

Most telephone callers waiting on hold with the Excela health system are likely preoccupied with something other than the music they hear.

Even so, they may find themselves lightly tapping their feet to the plaintive acoustic guitar and plucky overtones of “Excela Theme,” a song written specifically for the Westmoreland-based medical system, as opposed to some canned office Muzak piped in via satellite.

And they have a Pittsburgh resident to thank for it.

Composer, guitarist and banjoist John Marcinizyn, 58, of Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood, composed the song in 2011 after being commissioned by Excela.

“Former marketing VP Jennifer Miele had a vision to create this original theme for Excela commercials and promotions,” said Marcinizyn, an artist-lecturer at Carnegie Mellon and Seton Hill universities. “They wanted something uptempo and guitar-based, so I said, ‘Sure.’”

To Marcinizyn’s surprise, the first composition he submitted was the one Excela officials liked.

“There were just a couple tweaks they wanted me to make, including a little lick at the end, so that it begins and ends on the same note,” he said.

Initially, Marcinizyn’s task was to compose 30 seconds of music for an Excela commercial.

“I had to time it exactly, just about 29 seconds to include the commercial fade-out,” he said. “There was a 15-second version and a minute-long version. At that time, I was also in the process of recording a CD of original music.”

“Excela Theme” makes an appearance on Marcinizyn’s 2012 album, “Blue Ride.”

Over the years, he ended up recording additional versions of the lilting melody.

“I did a version with classical guitar and piano, a solo piano version, a clarinet and orchestra version, a string version — there’s even one that’s more of an uptempo electric version,” he said.

Because he’s a Pittsburgh resident who has little contact with the Excela health system, Marcinizyn isn’t even sure which version of “Excela Theme” the company uses as its “hold” music.

Mostly, he’s happy that he could put his talent to use for Excela.

“I really enjoy the creative process, exploring different musical ideas, putting things in your imagination together and getting lost in the process,” he said.

Hear more of Marcinizyn’s music at JohnMarcinizyn.com, or as a member of the Ferla-Marcinizyn Guitar Duo, Acoustic Swing or the Red Hot Ramblers.