Peyden Shelton is currently an active freelancer and educator in the Baltimore area, and newly appointed professor of trumpet at the University of Utah.

JN: Peyden, get us up to speed. What’s going on in your world?

PS: The past month has been super busy with travelling, doing gigs in the local area. I’m part of a new chamber ensemble. I can’t release too much info about it at the moment, but it’s going to be amazing. And of course getting ready for the big move to Salt Lake City later this summer.

JN: So this new ensemble is going to be in Utah?

PS: No, it will be comprised of teachers on the East Coast, from various universities. I’m going to be the furthest away, but we’re hoping my move will open more doors to opportunities all over the country. We’re really looking to take our performances into new doors that have not been explored yet.

JN: So you’ve been around the block a few times, you’ve got a lot of amazing things ahead in your future. But I want to start with what you consider to be one of your worst moments as a performer.

PS: I went to the University of Miami for my master’s degree and studied with Craig Morris. I can’t recommend that highly enough. But an academic environment is a place to learn. And trust me, I learned a lesson. I was part of the Henry Mancini orchestra, kind of a hybrid of jazz and classical. It was comprised of students at the U. So lo and behold I ended up being the principal trumpeter on the classical side. We had one particular gig where we were doing a hodge podge of Mancini medley’s.

As a student, you have moments where you don’t take your practice sessions as seriously as you should. You think, “I’ve played harder stuff before; I’ll be fine.” Well, this certain piece had a really nice piccolo trumpet featured right at the beginning of the piece.

Being the cocky young trumpet player I was, I decided, “I’ve got this.” I didn’t practice it all that much. But on the day of the performance, let’s just say I dropped the ball. This was in concert, in front of many huge donors of the school. It was a good learning experience for me to never take anything for granted. Always make sure you’re practicing things like you’re going to perform them.

JN: So this wasn’t one of those mistakes where you know it’s off and can play it off. It was pretty evident you had screwed it up.

PS: Yes. The looks from people in the orchestra, the terrified looks in the audience. It was a heavy learning experience. So since that time, you could say I’ve got my act together. Sometimes it’s good to fall on your face in situations like that. It puts things in perspective and is a good swift kick in the butt to make sure you’re taking care of your business.

JN: It’s a learning environment. So you can make a mistake and you’re not going to lose your job.

PS: Yes. Something I heard Bob Sullivan say is that even in an academic environment, if you’re getting paid in any regard, you must treat them like a job. If you’re getting a scholarship of some kind, you’re really getting paid to do the job. If you don’t do the job, in the real world you could be fired.

JN: You know, no one likes to tell these stories, but it’s important. I’ve had moments like that, every guest has had moments like that.

So let’s talk about a time when things go great. You feel on fire, as if nothing can go wrong.

PS: The most uplifting moment I can remember is stepping on stage during the national trumpet competition finals in 2014. It was a long road to get to that point, but it was the one moment I can remember thinking, “It doesn’t matter what happens.” It was a no-stress environment, really uplifting. I try to channel that into every situation as a performer.