Trumpet Teacher Talk

Episode 39: "Breathe" - A Conversation with Justin Emerich

A nationally renowned trumpeter and teacher with extensive national and international performing experience, Justin Emerich is associate professor of trumpet at the MSU College of Music. Emerich’s orchestral experience includes serving as acting associate principal trumpet of the San Francisco Symphony, as well as performing with the St Louis Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, San Francisco Opera, Malaysia Philharmonic, Seoul Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Seattle Opera, Grant Park Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, Grand Rapids Symphony, Palm Beach Opera Orchestra, and the New World Symphony. He has been a featured soloist with the Seattle Symphony and the Fulcrum Point New Music Ensemble in Chicago. In April 2013, Emerich was singled out as one of the San Francisco Symphony's "superb soloists" by the San Francisco Chronicle. Emerich is also an avid chamber musician and has been a member of, and toured with, such groups as the Canadian Brass, Burning River Brass, Proteus 7, the Avatar Brass, and Pink Martini. Performing with these groups, he traveled extensively throughout Europe, Asia, the Caribbean, and all 50 states in the U.S. While with the world famous Canadian Brass, he performed as solo-piccolo trumpet and collaborated with the New York Philharmonic and Philadelphia Orchestra brass sections. Emerich and the Canadian Brass were also featured with the New Jersey Symphony and premiered a new work by Bramwell Tovey with the Vancouver Symphony. He is currently the piccolo trumpet of Burning River Brass. Emerich performed in numerous Broadway shows in New York City including Kiss Me Kate, Into the Woods, and 42nd Street. After earning his degree, he became artist-in-residence and assistant trumpet professor at Grand Valley State University. Emerich has performed with such artists as Diana Ross, Burt Bacharach, Natalie Cole, Wayne Newton, Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, Yo-Yo Ma, Gil Shaham, Doc Severinsen, Allen Vizzutti, Renee Fleming, Sufjan Stevens, Ben Folds, and Vanessa Williams. He has recorded for hundreds of TV, movie, and video game soundtracks, and can be heard as the lone trumpet on The Blind Side with Sandra Bullock. Emerich has recorded various CDs for the Columbia, SFS Media, Naxos, New World, Dorian, Burmermusic, LML music, and Albany record labels. Emerich, who comes to Michigan State University from a faculty position at the University of Las Vegas, is a graduate of the Juilliard School of Music. 

Lips of Steel: A Conversation with David Baldwin

David Baldwin is Professor of Trumpet at the University of Minnesota School of Music in Minneapolis. He conducts the University Brass Choir, an 18-member ensemble which has several recordings to its credit. He is an active soloist, ensemble player, composer, arranger and teacher. He has over 100 arrangements and compositions published by G. Schirmer, Shawnee Press, Theodore Presser and others. 

Baldwin also serves as leader of the Summit Hill Brass Quintet. This group has recorded nine CDs, including two of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, two All-American albums, two Christmas CDs and Music for Al's Breakfast, four original Baldwin compositions. 

Dr. Baldwin received a Bachelor of Music degree from Baldwin-Wallace College and MM, MMA, and DMA degrees from Yale University. From 1969-71 Baldwin was a member of the United States Military Academy Band at West Point, New York. He is also founding Secretary and a member of the Board of Directors of the International Trumpet Guild. 

His teachers include Robert Nagel, Raymond Crisara, William Vacchiano, Bernard Adelstein, Charles Gorham and Eric Duro. In Minnesota, he has performed with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Minnesota Orchestra and the Bach Chamber Players of St. Paul.

He is the founder and leader of the Summit Hill Brass Quintet, which has been active since 1976. He is a frequent soloist and recitalist at the University of Minnesota, and across the Twin Cities. David has performed many times with the Minnesota Orchestra, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the Minnesota Opera.

Dr. Baldwin lives in St. Paul with his wife, Dr. Christine Baldwin, a clinical psychologist. He is an active calligrapher and has had many sponsored shows of his artwork.

Episode 37: Lasting Change for Trumpeters-A Conversation with Luis Loubriel

Luis E. Loubriel is a performer, teacher, researcher, and writer who specializes on brass performance and pedagogy.

He joined the American Federation of Musicians at age 16 to perform with the Puerto Rico Philharmonic and the Casals Festival Orchestra.

He completed his undergraduate and graduate degrees in trumpet performance at Northwestern University where he studied with Vincent Cichowicz and Luther Didrickson (concurrent with private studies with William Scarlett and Armando Ghitalla). 

He was a Patricia Roberts Harris Fellow at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis--where he studied with David Baldwin; Manny Laureano; and Gary Bordner--and a ICEOP Fellow at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign--where he studied with Ray Sasaki; Michael Ewald; and Ronald Romm.

Loubriel has performed with the Minnesota Orchestra; the Canadian Brass Quintet; the Artie Shaw Orchestra; and the Chicago Chamber Orchestra among others.

As a music producer, Loubriel served as assistant producer/programmer and recording engineer at WFMT Radio in Chicago--where he worked on the Studs Terkel Program with Studs Terkel and guests such as Jean Pierre Rampal; Ludwig Guttler; Maya Angelou; Toni Morrison; and Charlie Rose.

Loubriel co-produced the Jazz Image--a live radio show hosted by Leigh Kamman at Minnesota Public Radio--where he worked with artists such as Sonny Rollins; Jean Toots Thielemans; and Dr. Billy Taylor.

He published Lasting Change for Trumpeters with Scholar Publications in 2005; Back to Basics for Trumpeters in 2009; and wrote several articles with the International Trumpet Guild; the Forum on Public Policy; and the Journal of Integral Theory and Practice.

He is currently Associate Professor of Music and Chair of the Department of Music at Benedictine University.

Episode 36: Keep Going! A Conversation with Dr. Cathy Leach

Cathy Leach has been Professor of Trumpet at the University of Tennessee since 1981. She teaches applied trumpet, directs the UT Trumpet Ensemble and coaches brass quintets, and serves the School of Music as Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies. Dr. Leach played principal trumpet with the Knoxville Symphony and Knoxville Symphony Chamber Orchestras 1981-2012, and has played principal trumpet with the very active UT Faculty Brass Quintet at the University of Tennessee for the past 35 years. She appears on recordings on the Musical Heritage and Opus One labels.

A popular soloist and clinician, Ms. Leach has been featured with the Knoxville Symphony and Knoxville Symphony Chamber Orchestras, the Oak Ridge Symphony, the Bremerton Symphony, and the Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic. She has been a member of Monarch Brass and Stiletto Brass Quintet, with whom she has toured and recorded.

Dr. Leach is currently Vice President/President Elect of the International Trumpet Guild, having served 12 years on the Board of Directors. She is President of the ITG local chapter, the Smokey Mountain Trumpet Guild, which aims to promote communication among trumpet players in the East Tennessee region.

Dr. Leach's students currently perform professionally and teach in universities and public schools across the United States. As Director of the UT Trumpet Ensemble, Dr. Leach has conducted the group at International Trumpet Guild Conferences at the University of Maryland (1990), in Rotterdam (1992), at the University of Richmond (1999), at Rowan State University (2006), Columbus State University in Columbus, GA (2012) and Columbus, OH (2015), often featuring pieces she has commissioned. Dr. Leach has been awarded a Chancellors Citation for Excellence in Teaching, a School of Music Leadership Award, a 2007 James R. and Nell W. Cunningham Outstanding Teaching Award, and a Sandra G. Powell Professorship 2014-2016.

Episode 35: Paul Baron "Trumpet Voluntarily"

Paul Baron is one of today's most highly respected lead and commercial trumpet players. His sound is distinctly bright and powerful and carries with it decades of experience in a wide range of musical styles. Musicality and passion are audible in each note Paul plays, from jazz to rock, big band to musical theater, and TV jingles to movie soundtracks.

We are excited to announce that Paul's first trumpet book, "TRUMPET VOLUNTARILY© A Holistic Guide To Maximizing Practice Through Efficiency"© is now available from Bugles Media publishing. His book is intended to accompany all the many practice routine and etude books available as a "cross-fit" training guide by learning how, what, and when to practice to achieve the greatest results in the quickest most efficient way. Ebooks and hard copies available for purchase at  Bugles Media, Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, and more.

Free Flow! - An conversation with Judith Saxton

Judith Saxton enjoys a multi-faceted career as an international soloist, chamber and orchestral musician and educator and has been lauded as a “virtuoso player and superb soloist”. In addition to her performing and teaching, she offers Alexander Technique lessons and group seminars for a variety of populations globally. 

As a recitalist, Ms. Saxton has performed in the UK, China, Brasil and Italy and concertizes nationally with Timothy Olsen, organ, and Allison Gagnon, piano with whom she recorded her acclaimed solo CD Concert and Contest Pieces for Trumpet, distributed globally to the International Trumpet Guild membership.

As principal and soloist, she leads the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival, and is on Eastern Music Festival (Greensboro, NC), faculty with whom she records annually under Gerard Schwarz’s leadership. She performs regularly with an array of orchestral and chamber organizations on the eastern seaboard of the US, and she offers master classes at conservatories, festivals and conferences world-wide as a Conn-Selmer clinician.

Previously Ms. Saxton was principal and soloist with Hong Kong Philharmonic, Illinois, Wichita and Key West Symphonies, Chicago Chamber Orchestra; guest principal for St. Louis and extra for Chicago Symphony.

Judith has recorded as a chamber musician on over 10 labels. Recently, she was soloist and principal solo cornet for North Carolina Brass Band’s 2014 debut CD First in Flight and 2016 Christmas Wrapped in Brass CD.

She served 10 years at University of North Carolina School of the Arts as Trumpet Artist/Faculty and Brass/Percussion Chair. Previously, she was tenured Associate Professor at Wichita State University. Her students can be found performing and teaching around the world. She is a Certified Alexander Technique Teacher (ATI).

Episode 33: Being patient - A Conversation with Dr. Jason Crafton

Jason Crafton is Assistant Professor of Trumpet at Virginia Tech and he directs both of the large jazz ensembles. Prior to this appointment he held positions at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, North Central Texas College, the University of Northern Colorado, and in various Dallas-Fort Worth area public schools.

In addition, he has performed with a variety of ensembles including the Roanoke Symphony, Ash Lawn Opera, Dallas Wind Symphony, and Dallas Opera.

[email protected]

Episode 32: Stay in the Moment - A Conversation with James Thompson of the Eastman School of Music

James Thompson is currently Professor of Trumpet at the renowned Eastman School of Music. He came to this position after having played Principal Trumpet in the Atlanta and Montreal Symphony Orchestras.

He has performed as soloist with orchestras in North and South America as well as Europe. He has made recital tours of Asia, North and South America as well as most of Europe.

Since joining the faculty of the Eastman School he has performed as guest Principal Trumpet with orchestras that include the New York Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, as well as the Baltimore, Seattle, and Boston Symphonys.

Mr. Thompson can be heard on CDs with the Montreal and Atlanta Symphonys, as well as solo and chamber projects. His recordings of the Shoshtakovitch Concerto #1 for Piano, Trumpet and Strings and Mahler Symphony #5 were Stereo Review’s records of the Month.

Mr. Thompson is a Yamaha Performing Artist.

[email protected]

Episode 31: "First, Be a Musician" a conversation with Dr. J. Peyden Shelton

A current resident of the greater Washington D.C. and Baltimore area, Dr. J. Peyden Shelton has gained a rapidly growing reputation as an active clinician and performer throughout the United States and Canada.  Dr. Shelton has served on the faculties at both the University of Rochester and Cornell University as an Instructor of Trumpet.  In these positions he recruited and maintained two studios of both undergraduate and graduate students.  He also served as chamber ensemble coach for numerous student ensembles.  While pursuing his doctorate in Trumpet Performance and Literature at the Eastman School of Music, Peyden served as the head teaching assistant for the Eastman School's trumpet studio under Professors James Thompson and Douglas Prosser. 

In March of 2014, Peyden was awarded 1st place in the Graduate Solo Division at the National Trumpet Competition in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.   Since that time, Peyden has been featured as a soloist with several ensembles throughout the East Coast.   His most recent performances include Alexandra Pakhmutova's Concerto for Trumpet, Duke Ellington's Concerto for Cootie, Bruce Broughton's Excursions for Trumpet and Band, as well as Donald Hunsberger's famous arrangement for Wynton Marsalis of J.B. Arban's Fantasie Brillante.   Peyden has performed as a soloist with a wide variety of ensembles including The Winds of the Blue Ridge, Southwest Virginia's premiere wind band, Cornell University's Symphonic Wind Ensemble, and the Reston Symphony Orchestra.   He has been featured as soloist in chamber music settings including the Eastman School's Tuba Miram, and the Eastman Brass Guild. 

Episode 30: "Be an Artist" a conversation with Larry Meregillano. 

Larry Meregillano is a Bach artist/clinician. He started his professional career playing in big bands in San Diego in the early 1970’s. In 1976, he was hired to play in Tom Ranier’s Show band at Disneyland.

A year later, Mr. Meregillano joined the gospel group Truth and soon after went on to perform and tour with The Bill Gaither Trio. While traveling and recording with The Bill Gaither Trio, he also recorded with Sandi Patti, David T, Clydsdale, Ron Huff, Don Marsh and many others.

In 1980, Larry returned to California and became the lead trumpet player for the world-famous Disneyland Band. In the late 1980’s, Larry was hired to play in the PTL Television Orchestra with Jim and Tammy Faye Baker. From there he joined Princess Cruise lines as Musical Director.

After many years, Mr. Meregillano moved to Orlando, Florida, where he performed with many bands at Walt Disney World, MGM Studios, Epcot Center, Universal Studios and Pleasure Island. He has also been the Musical Director and performer for many cruise lines including the world-famous Queen Elizabeth 2.

Larry has toured with the Temptations and The Four Tops, and has been a sideman for Rosemary Clooney, Joe Williams, Jack Jones, Bob Hope, Celia Cruz, Frankie Avalon and many, many others. Mr. Meregillano has recorded with many artists including Hubert Laws, Latoya Jackson, and Rick Dees.

Mr. Meregillano can often be seen playing with The Tom Kubis GWC Big Band and is a busy freelance musician playing recording dates, theater and stage shows in the Los Angeles area and around the country.