By Zach Taylor, University Relations Staff Writer
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Department of Music will host the upcoming 2014 Trumpet Festival of the Southeast. The festival will be held at the UTC Fine Arts Center from January 17-19. Admission to see performances by guest artists and a jam session is free and open to the public.More than 300 musicians from around the region will come to participate in this year’s festival. The three-day event includes concerts, master classes, trumpet ensemble performance opportunities, festival ensembles, and exhibits.
The festival will feature guest trumpeters Allan Dean, Professor of Trumpet at Yale University, and Tito Carrillo, Professor of Jazz Trumpet at the University of Illinois.
Supported by the professional community and the many colleges and universities with strong music programs in the southeast, the festival looks to highlight renowned trumpet playing and teaching across the region.
For Dr. Erika Schafer, Assistant Professor of Trumpet and Assistant Director of Bands, hosting one of the nation’s premier trumpet conferences provides a great opportunity for the University as well as the community.
“The Trumpet Festival of the Southeast is a celebration of trumpet performance and education in the Southeastern United States. Hosting the event gives us a chance to celebrate the art and fun of trumpet performance and also allows us to provide a low-cost opportunity to hear and see performances by some of the world’s finest trumpet players,” said Schafer.
The UTC Trumpet Studio (music majors and non-music majors who take trumpet lessons) will not only help manage the event, but they will perform as well. The Health and Human Performance Department will also co-sponsor the festival.
The festival has been made possible in part by a UTC Faculty Development Grant, a UTC Speakers and Special Events grant, funding from the UTC Department of Music, and generous donations from UTC Band Alumni George Nichols, V. Earl Brown, and David Gibbs.
For more information regarding specific event times or to register as a participant, email Dr. Schafer at Erika-Schafer@utc.edu or call the UTC Department of Music at 423-425-4601. An online registration form is available here.
