June 2020 Winner: Gabriel Curtis
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- Published: Wednesday, 03 June 2020 16:00
- Written by Anne K. McNamara
This issue’s featured young artist award winner is Gabriel Curtis, a sixteen-year-old trumpeter who attends Lafayette High School in Lexington, Kentucky and studies privately with Scott Heersche. Gabriel is actively involved in his school’s music program, performing in the marching band, jazz band and in Lafayette's top performance band, wind symphony. He also fulfills leadership roles in those ensembles by acting as section leader of the marching band trumpets and principal trumpet in the wind symphony. Outside of school, Gabriel performs in the Central Kentucky Youth Symphony Orchestra and also seeks out playing opportunities such as competing in the youth ensemble division of the 2019 National Trumpet Competition. He also enjoys playing the piano, which he began at age 8. During the summer of 2019, he studied and performed at the Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan, working with Vince DiMartino, John Aley, Rex Richardson and Ken Larson.
While only a sophomore in high school, Gabriel is confident that he wants to pursue music at the college level as a music major studying either music education, music performance or both. He credits a lot of his success and happiness with music to his mother, Tiffaney Lavoie, a former choir director who first introduced him to music through piano lessons and who encouraged him to pick up the trumpet when he was 10 years old. A moment of pride for him was when he received the Director’s Award from his middle school band director, Lois Wiggins of Edythe Jones Hayes Middle School. This award is given to a graduating 8th grader who embodies the spirit of a musician through leadership and love of the art. Speaking of Gabriel, Ms. Wiggins says, “He is a fantastic young musician, one of the best I have had the pleasure of working with.”
Two major trumpet influences for Gabriel are Wynton Marsalis and Arturo Sandoval. He also loves the band Chicago, in particular because of their brass section. While music is his passion, he also loves movies, cinema trivia and pop culture, in particular that of the 1980s. Gabriel hopes to utilize his passion for music by investing in future generations as a high school band director one day. Congratulations Gabriel!
March 2020 Winner: Addison Bosch
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- Published: Wednesday, 03 June 2020 15:53
- Written by Anne K. McNamara
This issue’s featured young artist award winner is Addison Bosch, a 16-year-old trumpeter who attends Volcano Vista High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico and studies privately with Dr. John Marchiando. Addison performs in several groups both inside and outside of school including the Albuquerque Youth Symphony under the direction of Sayra Severson, the New Mexico Jazz Workshop Honor band, he plays lead trumpet with the Volcano Vista H.S. Jazz Band and is the featured soloist in his high school marching band show under the direction of his band director, Paul Blakey. With the Albuquerque Youth Symphony, Addison has been a featured soloist on two separate occasions, recently performing the first movement of the Böhme Concerto and performing the Arutunian concerto as an 8th grader. Other important highlights include competing as a finalist in the I.T.G. Youth Solo Competition in 2016, being selected to participate in both the All State Jazz band and All State concert band groups in 2017 and 2018 and performing in the Sidney Opera House while on tour with the Albuquerque Youth Symphony.
Addison plans to graduate from high school a year early in order to pursue a bachelors degree in Music Performance at the University of New Mexico continuing his studies with Dr. Marchiando. An equal fan of both classical and jazz music, some of his favorite trumpet players include Chet Baker, Maynard Ferguson, Allen Vizzutti, Wynton Marsalis, Tine Thing Helseth and Alison Balsolm. Addison’s former teachers include Kent Erickson and Brynn Marchiando. Congratulations Addison!
January 2020 Winner: Jade Park
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- Published: Wednesday, 03 June 2020 15:47
- Written by Anne K. McNamara
Jade Park is an eleven-year-old trumpet performer from Australia. The past year has been full of exciting musical opportunities and accolades for Park. She was awarded the first prize and exceptional young talent prize at the Grand Prize Virtuoso Competition in Rome, Italy, and was awarded a full music scholarship to attend the MLC school in Sydney. Additionally, she was awarded an ITG Conference Scholarship, as well as being a finalist for the 2019 ITG Youth Competition in Miami, Florida, USA. She has performed in multiple masterclasses and won first prize in the brass solo category at the Sydney, Ryded, Bathurst, Penrith, Orange, and Northern Beaches Eisteddfod competitions.
In addition to her very active musical schedule, she has also won first place in multiple years at the New South Wales Taekwondo State Championships and a Gold Medal at the National Taekwondo Championships. She was recommended for the ITG Young Artist Award by Brian Evans, Opera Australia Orchestra, past president of the ITG, and president of the Australian Trumpet Guild. As the January 2020 Young Artist Award recipient, she will receive a complimentary one-year membership to ITG. Congratulations, Jade!
June 2016 Winner: Chen Jia-Wei
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- Published: Saturday, 17 December 2016 06:47
- Written by Jon Kratzer
Chen Jia-Wei, age fourteen, is currently a trumpet student at the middle school of the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. He studies with Mr. Dai Zhonghui, a distinguished trumpet professor and former principal trumpet of the National Symphony Orchestra of China.
Chen Jia-Wei is an active, smart, and most talented student at the music institute. He grew up in a musical family and found a love for music at a young age. He started playing piano when he was four and trumpet at age ten. He became first trumpet in the school orchestra when he was in fourth grade. In 2011, he won the prize for the Beijing Art Festival, elementary school district.
In 2013 and 2014, he was selected as the winner for the HaiDian district solo competitions and was also awarded the Young Artist Award by the Beijing City Education Center. In July of 2013, he was chosen to perform a solo at the Concert Hall of the National Performing Arts Center.
Chen Jia-Wei has been soloist with Jia Ping Philharmonic Wind Ensemble, Ba Yi Middle School Wind Orchestra, and the Symphonic Wind Orchestra of the Central Conservatory of Music. He won first prize in 2014 for the International Trumpet Guild Youth Solo Competition (under-14 division) at the ITG conference in Columbus, Ohio.
As the June 2016 Young Artist Award recipient, he will receive a one-year complimentary membership to ITG. Congratulations, Chen Jia-Wei!