Off Topic Post: National Trumpet Competition

Good Morning From the Denver International Airport! This weekend i had the pleasure of performing at the National Trumpet Competition with the University of Iowa trumpet ensemble, and as a soloist in the graduate solo division.

This was my third year attending the competition, and I continue to be amazed by the level of playing across each division. According to Dr. Dennis Edelbrock, founder, NTC provides students with an opportunity to perform on a national platform where they can meet and interact with major figures in the trumpet world. I took the opportunity to listen to numerous student performances throughout the weekend and noticed a thread running between soloists especially in the graduate and under-graduate solo divisions. This commonality between most players was a well defined sound concept and exceptional musicality. It's incredible to me that the level of trumpet playing across the country is at an extremely high level regardless of the size or stature of their university.

I was also impressed the high school division, where many students played their solos from memory. Though the sound and musical ideas may not have been quite as mature as the older students these young people were stars when they stepped on stage. I found myself getting quite nervous for these kids especially when i knew their pieces well.

The ensemble divisions were enlightening, especially in terms of the variety of repertoire performed. Many of the pieces were what i would categorize as, high, loud, and fast (even some with choreography), but my favorite works, and performances, were those where the ensembles came out, read off of music, and just played beautiful sounding music at the highest level as an ensemble. I called this approach, "Just roll the ball out there and play, no fancy stuff," I believed these were the most effective performances.

Lastly, the jazz finals performances were the highlight of the students that played this week. These students had mature ideas, stage presence, and distinct sounds. Some of my friends caught a high school student that we think should have a record deal.

In addition to great student performances we heard master classes and performances from: Caleb Hudson, Chris Coletti, Marvin Stamm, Randy Brecker, The USAFA Bands, and Ruben Simeo. Overall this experience continues to open my ears and bolster my love for performing the trumpet as much as humanly possible