Young talented musicians will gather at DePaul University's School of Music Sept. 14 for a prestigious jazz trumpet competition. (Image courtesy of the DePaul School of Music) CHICAGO — Some of the brightest and best young talent in jazz trumpet will gather at DePaul University’s School of Music this fall to compete for a top award. The Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Competition will be held Sept. 14 and feature performances by the five finalists vying for the coveted award.
Sponsored by the International Trumpet Guild, in cooperation with the Herb Albert Foundation, the bi-annual competition is considered the world’s most prestigious for jazz trumpeters, honoring one of the world’s greatest brass teachers. The winner of the competition receives $10,000, and the runner-up receives $5,000. Past winners of this competition include DePaul University School of Music alumnus Marquis Hill (MM ‘12) and former student Amir El Saffar.
Chosen from the best young talent in jazz trumpet from around the world, the five finalists who will compete are Dave Adewumi (New York, New York), Jacob Baldwin (Minneapolis, Minnesota), Cosimo Boni (Reggello, Italy), Skyler Floe (Lynwood, Washington), and Andrew Stephens (Sacramento, California). The preliminary rounds began over six months ago with applications from the United States, Europe and Asia. More information about each of the finalists can be found at
go.depaul.edu/caruso2019.
Chad McCullough, DePaul University School of Music adjunct faculty member, leads the two-day intensive experience for the finalists. Esteemed artist and educator Julie Landsman, former principal horn with the Metropolitan Opera and a student of Carmine Caruso, will lead two morning clinics, one on the Caruso Teaching Method and one for French Horn students. Each finalist will then perform individually for the judges in the afternoon.
The free evening gala concert will feature all finalists performing alongside the illustrious judges and guest artists including Grammy Award-winning recording artist Tim Hagans, modern genre-bending Ambrose Akinmuserie and trumpet legend Charles Tolliver alongside an all-star big band of Chicago's top musicians. The winner of the competition will be announced live onstage by International Trumpet Guild President Cathy Leach. The evening gala concert will be held in Mary Patricia Gannon Concert Hall at the Holtschneider Performance Center at DePaul University’s School of Music.
The clinics and finalist competition performances are free with no ticket or reservation required. The gala concert is free with tickets required and seating will be general admission. Tickets will be available beginning on Tuesday, August 6 at 10 a.m. Order online at go.depaul.edu/musicevents, by phone at 773-325-5200 or in person at the Holtschneider Performance Center Box Office Tuesday-Friday noon – 3 p.m.
For more than 100 years, the DePaul University School of Music has been dedicated to excellence in music teaching and performance with a distinguished faculty including members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Lyric Opera of Chicago and the most prominent music educators, composers, producers, jazz and chamber musicians. Students work in a collaborative, performance-focused environment in the stunning new state-of-the-art Holtschneider Performance Center, collectively presenting more than 300 jazz and classical concerts each year. Fostering not only the next generation of performers, the School of Music also offers a robust musical studies department with majors in composition, music education, performing arts management and sound recording technology. Learn more at
music.depaul.edu.
The International Trumpet Guild is a worldwide organization of trumpeters, formed to promote communication among trumpet players around the world and to improve the artistic level of performance, teaching, and literature associated with the trumpet. The organization's approximately 5,000 members represent 64 countries and include professional and amateur performers, teachers, students, manufacturers, publishers, and others interested in belonging to an organization dedicated to the trumpet profession.
Carmine Caruso was one of the world’s greatest brass teachers. It is to the man and his work that this competition is dedicated. Caruso was born on November 2, 1904, lived his entire life in New York, and died on May 26, 1987. Although he played all the woodwind and string instruments, Caruso made his living as a saxophone player, performing in ballrooms and on radio shows. He played his last club date on his 70th birthday in 1974. Caruso took his first trumpet student in 1942 and, within a year, had 40 brass students. Brass players from all over the world traveled to New York to study with him, and he developed a reputation for being able to help players improve.
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