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The Midwest Trumpet Festival is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 7, and Monday, Oct. 8 and will feature international trumpeter Wayne Bergeron, along with the Crossroads Jazz Orchestra.
The festival, founded 10 years prior, brings together teachers and students of trumpet from across the nation. The participants in the festival come from as Florida and Wisconsin, and these students and faculty get to interact with the guest artists.
“… It’s a gathering of professional and student trumpet players just to come together and have comradery…” Todd Hastings, professor of music and festival organizer, said. “…This year we had Wayne Bergeron, who is the leading Hollywood motion picture trumpet player right now; he’s on ‘the Incredibles,’ he’s on so many, over 400 soundtracks…” Julian Kaplan, of Kansas City, will accompany Wayne Bergeron as a guest artist during the festival. Kaplan currently plays with the Kansas City Symphony.
“… we’ll have a master class with (Julian Kaplan) where college students will play for him, and they’ll be critiqued by Julian.” Hastings said.
The festival also acts as a workshop for the traveling students and professors.
“We have our question and answer session with (Wayne Bergeron), so we can ask why he does what he does and what it’s like doing what he does.” Hastings said. “… We start off with an open lecture from our guests, and then that afternoon, there’s some different jazz improvisation workshops, and also just for jazz history, kind of our jazz day.”
Hastings, in addition to organizing the festival, supervises the PSU Jazz Combo, as well as teaches jazz improvisation lessons.
“It’s really something for everyone, you don’t have to be a trumpet player to come out and enjoy this (the festival) and these sessions.” Hastings said.
Hastings employs the Crossroads Jazz Orchestra, formerly known as the Crowder Jazz Orchestra, to play for the guest artists at the concert on Oct. 7 at 7:30 p.m. The professional performance attracts local teachers to bring their students and Hastings encourages both high school and college students to attend the festival.
“For PSU students, come on out…” Hastings said. “There is a registration fee. Everybody has to, just like any convention, there’s a registration fee so that we can keep doing this. And there’s also, most importantly, an endowment drive trying to raise $100,000 so that we never have to ask anyone for money… we’re up to $40,000.”
Hastings said that the Midwest Trumpet Festival has gained “international attention.”
“(The Trumpet Festival) is in the International Trumpet Guild magazine every year,” Hastings said. “There’s always a story to write up about it. But when I go to the Trumpet Guild conferences… This year, I went to San Antonio and people said, ‘Hey man. Your festival looks great,’ so I get people from all over that hear about it…”
The festival welcomes 125 trumpet students, both high school and college, and 15 university professors to campus this year.
“We’re bringing about 20 kids this year… They enjoy it, and I think this year, with having more playing mixed in, I think that’s going to be really helpful.” Trey Waddell, band director at Carl Junction High School, said.
Todd Hastings encourages interested parties to donate to the endowment fund and that donations are tax deductible.
