The School of Music will welcome 1,000 student competitors for four days of intense competition.
The TCU School of Music is honored to host the National Trumpet Competition, a premier event that showcases emerging talent and provides invaluable educational experiences. This prestigious gathering brings together musicians from high school to the graduate level, along with world-class trumpet performers and faculty from around the globe.
From March 13–16, the School of Music will welcome 1,000 student competitors from across the United States for four days of intense competition. Events will include trumpet ensemble performances, solo competitions, a military band audition competition and a solo jazz competition.
Finalists are selected through a rigorous process, with video submissions reviewed by professional trumpet educators and performers. Those who advance earn the opportunity to compete and perform in the world-class Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU.
Two groups and one soloist from the School of Music have advanced to the quarterfinals of the competition, including:
- Small Ensemble Competition: Performing Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue”— Blake Crosslin, Manny Arellano, Dhruv Patel, Cole Follett and Ethan Vinson
- Large Ensemble Competition: Performing “Ebullience” by Stephen Lias — Andria Christian, Jack Grimm, R.J. Andrade, Tony Banning, Jackson Schneider, Robert Lathrop, Alex Cadenhead and Kenneth Ebo
- Undergraduate Solo Competition: Dhruv Patel
Beyond the competitions, participants can take advantage of morning warm-up sessions, a masterclass led by the Dallas Symphony trumpet section, and a special Friday evening concert featuring the U.S. Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps and the University of North Texas One O’Clock Lab Band.
All events are free and open to the public, offering a rare opportunity to witness the next generation of trumpet virtuosos in action.