Episodes
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In this episode, Iâm joined by Johanna Yarbrough, who recently transitioned from her role as second horn with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra to become the Professor of French Horn at Louisiana State University. What begins as a conversation about career trajectory quickly unfolds into a vulnerable and deeply insightful look at the realities of orchestral lifeâand what it means to grow beyond it.
Johanna shares her early path through public school band, studying abroad in Norway with FrÞydis Ree Wekre, and winning the DSO job straight out of Colburn. But we go far beyond the résumé. We dig into:
The hidden toll of orchestral pressure on mental health
How her identity became entangled with achievement
Learning to separate musical excellence from personal worth
The challenges of orchestra culture, groupthink, and navigating difficult personalities
What she now sees as her mission: helping students become not just better players, but better people
From beta blockers and burnout to purpose and pedagogy, this episode explores the messy, human side of a music career. Whether youâre an aspiring orchestral musician, a college student, or a seasoned player wondering âwhatâs next,â Johannaâs story will hit home.Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts!Support the show
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Michael Anderson is the recently retired Professor of Trumpet at the Wanda L. Bass School of Music at Oklahoma City University. He is a member of the International Trumpet Guild Board of Directors and ITG Journal editorial committee, Executive Director of the Guildâs web site, and chairman of the ITG technology committee. He is the ITG Journal columnist for Trumpet Technology and has presented and performed at several ITG Conferences. Previously to his OCU appointment, he was on the music faculty of Dana College in Blair, Nebraska.
Anderson was project manager of the ITG Journal anniversary CD-ROM, distributed to guild members in 2001 and is currently working on a DVD of all Journal articles and music supplements for the membership to be released in 2008. He founded and administrates the Trumpet Playersâ International Network (TPIN), the oldest and most active Internet discussion list dedicated to the trumpet.
His degrees are from Illinois State University (BM), and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (MM). Primary teachers have been Dennis Schneider, Herbert Koerselman, and Arnold Jacobs. During his 2003 sabbatical, Anderson observed and studied with master teachers including Bill Adam, Vincent DiMartino, Ronald Romm, Michael Ewald, Karl Sievers, and William Pfund.
Anderson is a tenured member of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, the Lyric Theater Orchestra and the New Covenant Methodist Church Band. He performs regularly as a duo with Oklahoma City University Organist Timothy Olsen. He was a member of the Lincoln (Nebraska) Symphony Orchestra for 21 years, and performed often with the Omaha Symphony and Opera Omaha. He was a founding member of the Omaha Brass Ensemble, and the Nebraska Brass, and was a member of the Palladium Brass Quintet. He was musical director for the Omaha Big Band and the Omaha Jazz Youth Project. He is an active freelance trumpeter, and has played for countless national tours; recording sessions; and jazz, orchestra and chamber music events.Support the show
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Karl Sievers grew up in Louisville, KY. His teachers include Leon Rapier, former principal trumpet in the Louisville Orchestra; Louis Davidson, former principal trumpet in the Cleveland Orchestra; William Adam at Indiana University; and others. Karl holds a DMA in Trumpet Performance, is in his 24th season as principal trumpet in the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, and has recently retired from a Presidential Professorship at the School of Music at the University of Oklahoma. In addition to his orchestral work, he plays lead trumpet in jazz, commercial, and Broadway show venues. His passions outside of music include fitness, motorcycles, fishing, and family.
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William A. Baker, was appointed Bass Trombonist of the Lyric Opera of Chicago Orchestra in 2024 by Music Director Enrique Mazzola. He also currently serves as the Principal Bass Trombonist of the Monterey Symphony, a post he has held since 2018. From 2021-2024, Will primarily performed with the San Francisco Symphony, including over 200 performances, and European Tour, and the 2023 SFS recordings with Maestro EsaPekka Salonen.
A native of Walnut Creek, California, Will has performed with the San Francisco Opera and Ballet, the Detroit Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Alabama Symphony, and Malaysian Philharmonic.
Will began his professional career in Iowa, performing as the tenured member of Orchestra Iowa from 2013-17 and the Des Moines Symphony since 2014-18. In 2016, while artist in residence with the Southeast Iowa Symphony (SEISO), Will commissioned and premiered a new bass trombone concerto by composer Robert Tindle titled At Sixty Miles An Hour. In 2018, Will premiered the Wind Ensemble arrangement with Travis Cross and the UCLA Wind Ensemble.
Will graduated Cum Laude from UCLA with a BA in music performance, studying Euphonium and Bass Trombone with Patrick Sheridan. He then earned a Masters Degree in Bass Trombone performance at Northwestern University where he studied with Michael Mulcahy, Randall Hawes, Peter Ellefson, and Tim Higgins. After school, Will continued his studies with Kyle Covington of the San Diego Symphony, and all the members of the San Francisco Symphony brass section.
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Dr. Jennifer Oliverio is a celebrated cornet and flugelhorn player who holds the positions of principal cornet with the Fountain City Brass Band and flugelhorn with the Athena Brass Band. Jen is currently the Assistant Professor of Music in trumpet at Missouri Western State University and one of the directors for the Fountain City Youth Brass Academy.
Jen is an avid supporter of new music for cornet and flugelhorn, having commissioned and premiered solo works by Lucy Pankhurst, Dorothy Gates, Kevin Day, Andrea Hobson, Jen Mitchell, and Joel Collier for her premiere solo album Enigma. Her work on Enigma received overwhelmingly positive reviews and was nominated for the 4barsrest Album of the Year, a silver medal in the Global Music Awards, and winner of the 2023 American Prize in brass performance. Jen has served on the board of directors for the Fountain City Brass Band, the Athena Brass Band, the Visionary Panel for the National Youth Brass Band of America, and currently as the column editor for the International Trumpet Guildâs cornet column.
As a clinician, Jen regularly performs and presents at national and international festivals including: the International Trumpet Guild Conference, Brass Institutes of America, International Womenâs Brass Conference, PRIZM Chamber Music Festival, and the Eastman Summer Trumpet Institute. In her freelance work, Jen has performed as an extra with the Kansas City Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Alabama Symphony and is a founding member of the Trilogy Brass Trio.
As a teacher, Jen has had students accepted as semi-finalists in the National Trumpet Competition, semi-finalists for the International Trumpet Guild solo competitions, and as winners in the North American Brass Band Championships solo and ensemble competitions.
Jen is proud mother to son Ben and wife to husband Patrick.
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Grace OâConnell is a highly diverse musician with equal passions for soloing, orchestral playing, and chamber music. Grace frequently plays in the Nashville Symphony Orchestra and Huntsville Symphony Orchestra trumpet sections and is also a dynamic soloist and active competitor in national and international competitions. Most recently she was named first place winner of the Roger Voisin Memorial Trumpet Competition (2024). She was also named first place winner in the International Trumpet Guild Solo Division (2023), MTNA Young Artist Solo Division (2022), as well as the National Trumpet Competition Undergraduate Division (2022). She has been a featured soloist with the Eastern Music Festival Orchestra, Southern Stars Symphonic Brass Band, and Middle Tennessee Sinfonietta. In 2021 and 2023, Grace was the recipient of two separate URECA Grants from MTSU, aiding her in completing several solo trumpet recordings for digital release which are available on various music streaming platforms.
She is currently pursuing a Master of Music degree from Yale University and holds a Bachelor of Music from Middle Tennessee State University. Her primary teachers include John Aley, Michael Arndt, and Kevin Cobb.
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Christopher Smith brings nearly 20 years of major orchestral and ensemble experience to the role of Principal Trumpet of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra. Prior to joining the SDSO, he was 4th/Utility Trumpet with lâOrchestre symphonique de MontrĂ©al (OSM) for 11 years, and served as Acting Associate Principal Trumpet from 2015-18. He has performed with OSM on eight international tours (two as Associate Principal Trumpet), numerous live broadcasts on Mezzo TV and Medici.tv (several as Principal Trumpet), and five recordings, including as lead trumpet on MIKA et l'Orchestre symphonique de MontrĂ©al.
Prior to joining OSM in 2008, Mr. Smith performed for eight years in âThe Presidentâs Ownâ United States Marine Band, one of the worldâs finest wind ensembles and Americaâs oldest continuously active professional musical organization. The Marine Bandâs mission is to provide music for the President of the United States and the Commandant of the Marine Corps, performing at The White House for The Presidential Inauguration, events of national importance, holidays and ceremonies. Members of The Marine Band also participate in state funerals and full honors funerals at Arlington National Cemetery, including live trumpet performances of âTapsâ on national television, which Mr. Smith provided on numerous occasions. He also performed on five U.S. tours totaling over 40 concerts and, as an E-7 Gunnery Sergeant, supervised and mentored junior Marines. Mr. Smith also led small ensembles and was a co-founder of the Valor Brass quintet, which performed two tours and over 10 recitals, including a standing-room-only recital at The Midwest Clinic in Chicago. As a decorated veteran of the Marine Corps, Mr. Smith is a strong supporter of the United States military and is thrilled to connect as a member of the SDSO with the military community in the greater San Diego area.
In addition to his tenured roles in OSM and The United States Marine Band, Christopher Smith has served as Associate Principal Trumpet in the Seattle Symphony (2011-12 season), Acting Principal Trumpet in the Pacific Northwest Ballet (2017-18) and 2nd Trumpet with the Des Moines Metro Opera (2010-11). He has also performed as Guest Principal Trumpet with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra and Grand Rapids Symphony; lead trumpet with the singer MIKA; guest performer with the group Pink Martini. He has taught as an adjunct instructor at McGill University, led over 30 masterclasses throughout North and South America and privately coached both professional and collegiate trumpet players.
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Reach out to Matt!
[email protected]
In the fall of 2024, Matthew Vangjel will begin teaching at the University of Missouri Kansas City. Matthew Vangjel was previously the Julian R. and Sidney Nicolle Carruth Associate Professor of Trumpet at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, where he teaches trumpet and coaches chamber music. He also held positions at the University of Texas-San Antonio and the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith. Vangjel is a passionate music educator and frequently spends his free time teaching at camps and studying pedagogy. In the summer, he can be found at LSUâs Stately Oaks Summer Camp and coaching the National Youth Brass Band of America. He also taught at the University of Costa Ricaâs brass camp, Foro Bronces 2017, in San Jose.
In addition to his current duties at LSU, Vangjel is an active performer locally and nationally. He was a member of the Mirari Brass Quintet (Ariel Artists) with whom he toured actively both in the United States and abroad for a decade. Most memorably, Mirari spent two weeks touring China and released its second album, renewed, reused, recycled. Vangjel is also a member of the internationally acclaimed Fountain City Brass Band (FCBB), a British-style brass band based in Kansas City, KS. He can be heard as solo flugelhorn on all of the FCBB albums and as a featured soloist on Over the Rainbow and Celtic Impressions.
Since the Summer of 2019, Vangjel has been principal trumpet of the Mobile Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, and the Kansas City Symphony. He has been called upon as a featured soloist with the Fort Smith Symphony, Northland Symphony Orchestra, and the Kansas City Civic Orchestra. His first solo album, Still and Quiet Places, was released by Summit Records in the Fall of 2019. As a soloist or member of chamber ensembles, Vangjel is a frequent performer at the International Trumpet Guild Conferences, the International Trombone Festival, the International Tuba and Euphonium Conference, and the North American Brass Band Association Championships.
Vangjel studied at the University of Missouri - Kansas City (DMA), the University of Michigan (MM), and James Madison University (BM- Music Education). His primary teachers include Keith Benjamin, Bill Campbell, Jim Kluesner, and Nancy Taylor. He loves making music with his trumpet-playing wife, Jena, and family hiking trips with his daughter, Isla, and dob, Beaux.Support the show
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Brandon Jochum mastered this podcast episode
https://www.epiphanyrecordingstudio.com/
Tony's YouTube channel
https://www.youtube.com/@UCExbrtVAbwkjjprUPk4Sfxw
Anthony Prisk joined The Philadelphia Orchestra as second trumpet in August 2013. He came from the Houston Symphony, where he was second trumpet for 11 seasons, and the New World Symphony, where he was a trumpet fellow for four seasons. In the past 20 years he has played internationally with several orchestras and music festivals, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Grant Park Festival Orchestra, the Montreal Symphony, the Boston Symphony, the Moscow Philharmonic, and many others. He has participated in several music festivals, including Classical Tahoe, the Cabrillo Music Festival, the Spoleto Festival USA, the Tanglewood Music Center, the Pacific Music Festival, the Music Academy of the West, and the Aspen Music Festival.
Mr. Prisk won two international trumpet competitions through the International Trumpet Guild and Second Prize in the National Trumpet Competition. He was a soloist with the New World Symphony, the Temple Wind Symphony, the Texas Medical Center Orchestra, and several youth orchestras. He can be heard on numerous recordings with The Philadelphia Orchestra, the Houston Symphony, the New World Symphony, the Spoleto Festival Orchestra, and the McGill Symphony.
Teaching is a passion for Mr. Prisk. He is currently on the faculty at Temple University and the Peabody Institute in Baltimore. He can also be found teaching at summer music festivals including the Philadelphia International Music Festival, the Luzerne Music Center, and the Monteux School and Music Festival. He is also involved with the All City program sponsored by The Philadelphia Orchestra.
Mr. Prisk received his bachelorâs degree from the University of Illinois, where he studied with Ray Sasaki and Michael Ewald, and his masterâs degree from McGill University, where he studied with Paul Merkelo. His other main influences were John Hagstrom, Michael Sachs, and David Bilger. Mr. Prisk is originally from Lombard, IL, in the suburbs of Chicago and currently resides in South Philadelphia.Support the show
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Dr. Joseph Gray is the Associate Director of Bands and trumpet instructor at the University of North Alabama. Before coming to Florence, he served on the music faculty at the University of Alabama in Huntsville and as a noncommissioned officer and senior instrumentalist with the U.S. Army Music Program. During his military service, Dr. Gray was a member of the Army Material Command Band at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama and the Maneuver Center of Excellence Band at Fort Benning, Georgia.
Dr. Gray is principal trumpet with the Shoals Symphony Orchestra and performs regularly with the Huntsville and Chattanooga Symphony Orchestras. He has performed with numerous orchestras across the country, including the New Mexico and Madison Symphony Orchestras and held the position of Principal Trumpet with Opera Southwest in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Dr. Gray was also a featured soloist with the UNA Baroque Ensembleâs tour of Costa Rica in the Spring of 2019. Some of Dr. Grayâs recordings can be heard on the Naxos label and his performances have been featured on the nationally syndicated radio program âPerformance Todayâ.
He has been involved in the drum corps activity for 25 years. As a performer, he was a member of the Velvet Knights and Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps. As an educator, he has served as the brass caption head of Esperanza Drum and Bugle Corps and as a member of the educational staffs for the Academy and Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps.
Dr. Gray completed his DMA in trumpet performance at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music where he was a recipient of the Eugene M. Bolz Fellowship. Dr. Gray completed his Master of Music at the University of New Mexico and his Bachelor of Music at the California State University, Long Beach.
He currently resides in Florence, Alabama with his beautiful wife, Michelle, and their three children, Mia, Emmet and Abigail. Dr. Gray is a vintage motorcycle enthusiast and avid home coffee roaster.
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Ben Gunnarson is a trumpet player and music educator based in Los Angeles, California. He is currently Principal Trumpet of the Bay Philharmonic and also is a member of the Disneyland Band. After growing up in Frederick, MD, he earned is Bachelorâs Degrees in Trumpet Performance and Music Education from Indiana University and is pursuing his Masters Degree at the University of Southern California under the mentorship of Thomas Hooten and Jennifer Marotta. He also studied abroad in Vienna, Austria with Vienna Philharmonic trumpet player Rudolph Amon. Mr. Gunnarson was a Fellow and Teaching Assistant at the 2023 Brevard Summer Music Festival and participated in the 2022 National Brass Ensemble Academy at San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Other notable teaching experiences include the Bluecoats, The Company, the Santa Clara Vanguard, the USC Trojan Marching Band, Tonebase, Disney Performing Arts, and the Disney Youth Education Series.
Mr. Gunnarsonâs performing credits include the TonyÂź and EmmyÂź winning broadway production of BLAST! The Music of Disney, the LA Film Conducting Institute Studio Orchestra, Seth MacFarlane Big Band, the American Youth Symphony, California Young Artists Symphony, Modesto Symphony Orchestra, Oakland Symphony, Cinematic Brass, the Disneyland All-American College Band, the Disneyland Candlelight Herald Trumpets, the San Francisco Wind Ensemble, and in productions of West Side Story, Dreamgirls, South Pacific, Mack and Mabel, and Cabaret. He is active in the L.A. recording studios, including Warner Brothers Studios, Fox Studios, Capital Records, EastWest Records, and Evergreen Studios. Mr. Gunnarson has been involved with Drum Corps International since 2013 as a performing member of the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps including their championship season, as well as their 2022 Alumni Corps. In 2023, his trumpet quintet achieved first place at the National Trumpet Competition representing the University of Southern California. Most recently, he was selected to be a member of âThe Presidentâs Ownâ United States Marine Band in Washington, D.C.
Ben maintains a large private teaching studio and is an active freelancer in LA, and currently serves as Vice President and Co-Founder of the Los Angeles Brass Alliance. The group has world-premiered over 30 new works for brass ensemble, and provides inclusive educational and fellowship opportunities for emerging professional musicians across the L.A. region. He lives in Buena Park with his fiancé Elizabeth, who is an exquisite tuba player, and their cat, Avery.
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Daniel Carson comes to the CSO after previously holding the position of principal bass at the Alabama Symphony Orchestra from 2013-16, and having performed with numerous other American orchestras, including those in Atlanta, St. Louis, Minnesota and Kansas City.
Carson was a fellow at the New World Symphony, under the direction of co-founder and Artistic Director Laureate Michael Tilson-Thomas and has also been a fellow at the Aspen Music Festival and School, the Music Academy of the West, and the Tanglewood Music Center. Originally from Glenview, Illinois, Carson studied double bass with Andrew Anderson, a member of Lyric Opera of Chicago and Grant Park orchestras. He was a member of the youth music program Midwest Young Artists Conservatory throughout high school.
Carson earned a Bachelorâs degree in performance from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he studied with Lawrence Hurst and Bruce Bransby. Later he earned a Masterâs degree from the University of Southern California, studying with David Allen Moore of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
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Wiff Rudd began teaching trumpet and serving as Brass Area Coordinator at Baylor University in 2002. Previous teaching posts include Oklahoma Baptist University and the University of Arkansas. A founding member of Rhythm & Brass, he is also an active soloist, chamber and orchestral musician. He has been a featured soloist in Carnegie Hall on multiple occasions and at several National Trumpet Competitions and International Trumpet Guild Conferences. Rudd has performed and presented master classes at more than 350 universities and music festivals on five continents. He serves as principal trumpet with the Waco Symphony and performs regularly with the orchestras of Houston (Moscow 2012), Dallas (Europe 2013 and 2016), and Harrisburg. Baylorâs trumpet ensembles have won six prizes at the National Trumpet Competition since 2009, including three first place wins. In 2010, Rudd received the Award for Outstanding Teaching and was named the Centennial Professor, which provided funding for research in collaborative practice. The resulting book, Collaborative Practice Concepts, was released at the 2013 and has been adopted by many university trumpet studios across the country.
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Dr. Jesse Cook has been hailed by Fanfare Magazine as a trumpeter with âtechnical surety, a shining tone, dynamic control, a smooth legato, and real imagination.â
Dr. Cook is the Assistant Professor of Trumpet at the University of Central Florida and the Principal Trumpet of the Atlantic Classical Orchestra. He has also held appointments as Principal Trumpet of the Valdosta Symphony Orchestra, Albany Symphony Orchestra, and as the Studio Professor at Valdosta State University (GA), Pittsburg State University (KS), and Northeastern State University (OK).
Dr. Cook received his DMA from the University of Texas at Austin. He regularly plays with The Florida Orchestra and has appeared with the Houston Symphony Orchestra, Kansas City Symphony, Alabama Symphony and the Jacksonville Symphony. Dr. Cook has also appeared as a soloist with the Brass Band of Central Florida, in Bachâs Brandenburg Concerto #2 with the Austin Bach Cantata Project, Bernstein's Mass for Wind Ensemble and Brass Quintet with the Austin Symphonic Band, the Wind Ensemble at the University of Texas at Austin, and L'Histoire du Soldat with the Round Top Festival Orchestra Faculty.
Dr. Cook is also a founding member of the Palisade Trumpet Collective, a leading professional trumpet ensemble in the United States. PTC has commissioned several new works for trumpet ensemble and toured across Texas, Florida, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee, and will release its debut album, âPalisades: New Music for Trumpet Ensembleâ in June 2023 on Mark Records.
A frequent recitalist and clinician, Dr. Cook has performed for and instructed students at universities across the United States of America and Europe. He is a regular judge at competitions with the International Trumpet Guild and National Trumpet Competition, has written several articles published in the International Trumpet Guild Journal and was an invited speaker at the 2019 National Trumpet Competition, the 2019 International Trumpet Guild Conference, the 2017 Georgia Music Educators Association Conference, the 2014 Texas Music Educator Association annual conference, and the 2014 International Trumpet Guild conference.Support the show
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Stephen M. Wadsack serves as the Instructor of Trumpet and director of Wright State University's Jazz Studies program offerings. In addition to his responsibilities with the trumpet studio and jazz studies, Stephen teaches courses in music history, coaches chamber music ensembles, and serves as the coordinator of the Faculty Brass Quintet. Prior to his appointment at Wright State in the Fall of 2022, Wadsack previously served on the faculties of Wilmington College (OH), Thomas More University (KY), and the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). He is also a certified K-12 music educator, endorsed to teach instrumental, choral, and general music.
As a performer, Stephen regularly appears with a wide variety of ensembles throughout the tri-state area, ranging from major symphony orchestras to chamber music groups, jazz ensembles, and Baroque period performance groups. Recent credits include ensembles such as the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Cincinnati May Festival, Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, Dayton Jazz Orchestra, Kentucky Baroque Trumpets, Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra (KY), Richmond Symphony Orchestra (IN), and Springfield Symphony Orchestra (OH). Wadsack is also in demand as a commercial/jazz trumpeter and recording artist; he can regularly be seen and heard performing in the live band at Kings Island amusement park, which entertains over 3.5 million guests over an 8-month season. Stephen has recently performed as a featured recitalist for the Troy-Hayner Center Soloist Recital Series, and as soloist with the Butler Philharmonic Orchestra (OH), Wright State University Treble Chorus, Round Lake High School Jazz Ensembles (IL), Wilmington High School Symphonic Band (OH), and the University of Wyoming Symphony Orchestra (WY). In the Fall of 2022, Stephen made his debut as a Guest Conductor with the North Platte District Honor Band in Casper, Wyoming.
As an academic researcher, Wadsack is published in both the International Trumpet Guild (ITG) Journal and Wyoming Windsong, the Wyoming Music Educators' Journal. In 2022, Stephen was invited to present research at both the 2022 North American Baroque Trumpet Conference and the 2022 ITG Conference; topics include a paper presentation on the trumpet nomenclature of J.S. Bach, as well as a presentation on the college audition process for prospective high school and graduate students pursuing a program in applied music. In addition to his appointment at Wright State, Wadsack maintains an active schedule as a guest artist/clinician for various high school, collegiate, and professional programs around the United States. To date, Stephen has engaged in residencies, masterclasses, and recitals at over 60 middle school, high school, and university music programs; he has also been a featured performing artist at numerous regional, state, and national music conferences.Outside of musical pursuits, Stephen enjoys connecting with friends, family, and current/former students. He is very passionate about the outdoors, hiking, fly fishing, distance running, and traveling to new places (especially National and State Parks). At home, Stephen regularly enjoys hosting board game nights, reading, all things coffee, and even brewing his own beer. He is also particularly proud of his Wyoming heritage (Go Pokes!). Stephen is happily married to his wife and "adventure partner", Casey, who is a certified social worker. Together, they have begun working to present research-based strategies on implementing trauma-informed pedagogy in the realm of higher education.
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As the current Principal Trumpet of the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra and graduate student in trumpet performance under John Rommel at Indiana University, Micah's career and studies in music have prepared him to succeed professionally at a high level of musicianship. Micah completed his undergraduate studies at Northwestern University and has had ample opportunity to play in high-caliber ensembles and with a wide range of world-renowned brass players.
Micah has had the privilege of studying with many leading orchestral trumpet players in the United States, most prominently Tom Rolfs, Michael Sachs, and David Bilger, principal trumpets of the Boston, Cleveland, and Philidelphia Orchestras respectively. Along with these players, Micah has been able to study with and be mentored by brass players in the National Symphony Orchestra, Cincinati Symphony Orchestra, Metropolitan Opera Ochestra, and the New York Philharmonic. Micah has had the opportunity to perform across the country and beyond with world-class conductors including, Steve Lockhart, Damon Gupton, Ken David Masur, Tito Muñoz, Ankush Kumar Bahl, Ken Lam, Katharina Wincor, and Joann Falletta.
Along with his high degree of instruction and influence, Micah have also gained valuable orchestral experience at intensive programs such as the Berlin Opera Academy and the Brevard Music Center. There, some of his most memorable performances included playing alongside soloists Joshua Bell and Kirill Gerstein. In addition, Micah is an active substitute with the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, Carmel Symphony Orchestra, and the New World Symphony in Miami where he recently played on opening night of their 35th season.
Outside of the trumpet, Micah is a Real Estate agent based in Virginia and enjoys the outdoors, cooking, and teaching younger musicians.
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Benjamin Wright joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra trumpet section in July 2002 as fourth trumpet. From 2006 to 2009, he was acting assistant principal trumpet of the BSO, and in 2010 became second trumpet of the BSO, where he occupies the Arthur and Linda Gelb Chair.
Wright began playing the violin at age three, and the trumpet when he was ten. He hails from a long line of musicians going back to his great-grandfather, a bandleader and cornetist in Buffalo Bill Codyâs Wild West Show. Wright studied at the Interlochen Arts Academy and received his bachelor's in music at the Cleveland Institute of Music. In 1996 Wright won the International Trumpet Guild and National Trumpet competitions, as well as the Cleveland Institute of Music Concerto Competition, and was awarded the Bernard Adelstein Prize for trumpet performance upon graduating in 1997.
Following two years as a member of the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, Wright spent two years as fourth trumpet in the Chicago Symphony. He has performed with the National Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, and the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra. His appearances as guest principal trumpet with the San Francisco Symphony included performances of Mahler's Eighth Symphony.
Benjamin Wright has given masterclasses at the Manhattan School of Music and Interlochen Center for the Arts, and has been a faculty member for the Bar Harbor Brass and the National Orchestral Institute.
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SFC Kevin Paul grew up in Los Angeles, California, and is currently a member of The U.S. Army Band âPershingâs Ownâ in Washington, D.C. He performs with the Ceremonial Band and Herald Trumpets. In 2018, Paul became a founding member of the U.S. Army Trumpet Ensemble, a group comprised of trumpeters from all factions of Army Music: Premier Bands, Regional Bands, and the U.S. Army School of Music. From 2013 to 2018, Kevin served with The United States Army Field Band and Federal Brass quintet. As a soloist, Kevin Paul has been featured with The U.S. Army Field Band on several concert tours, including performances of George Gershwinâs Preludes (arranged for trumpet) and John Williamâs With Malice Toward None from the
motion picture âLincoln.â Before joining the Army, Kevin served as Acting Principal Trumpet of the China National Symphony in 2013. Kevin attended the Manhattan School of Music in New York City where he earned a master's degree in music. He also holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Mannes College of Music. Kevin studied with many current and former members of the New York Philharmonic including Vincent Penzarella, Tom Smith, Phil Smith and former principal trumpet of the Metropolitan Opera, Mark Gould.Support the show
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