Belgian trumpeter Jeroen Berwaerts is internationally acclaimed for his exceptional technical command, refined musicality, and stylistic openness. His repertoire spans Baroque, Romantic, contemporary, and jazz traditions, reflecting a deep curiosity and an inclusive approach to music-making. A prizewinner at major international competitions including the Maurice André Trumpet Competition and the Prague Spring International Music Competition, Berwaerts has appeared as a soloist with leading orchestras across Europe and beyond and performed under distinguished conductors. He is a frequent guest at renowned international music festivals and has premiered new worksL works written expressly for him. In addition to his solo career, Berwaerts is deeply committed to chamber music and has been a longtime member of prominent brass ensembles, contributing to an expanding contemporary repertoire. His artistic versatility is further shaped by formal studies in jazz voice, which inform his innovative cross-genre projects. An experienced educator, Berwaerts has served as Professor of Trumpet in Hanover since 2008 and maintains an active international teaching presence.

Hailed by the New York Times for his playing of “easy brilliance” and by the Washington Post for his “engaging legato touch,” David Bilger is Professor of Trumpet at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music. From 1995 to 2022, he held the position of principal trumpet of The Philadelphia Orchestra, having previously held the same position with the Dallas Symphony. 

As a soloist Mr. Bilger has appeared with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Dallas Symphony, the Houston Symphony, the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, the Oakland Symphony, the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Philharmonia Virtuosi of New York, and others. His solo appearances with The Philadelphia Orchestra include 2018 performances of Christian Lindberg’s Akbank Bunka, the Hummel Trumpet Concerto in E-flat in 2013, a 2008 United States premiere of Herbert Willi’s Eirene for trumpet and orchestra, as well as performances of Bloch’s Proclamation (2006), Copland’s Quiet City (2004), and Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto in E-flat (2003). In 1998 he performed Tomasi’s Trumpet Concerto at Carnegie Hall and on tour in North and South America. Mr. Bilger has performed recitals in New York, Washington D.C., Cleveland, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and other major American cities.

Mr. Bilger has appeared with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, with which he recorded Bach’s Second Brandenburg Concerto. Other chamber music appearances include Chamber Music Northwest, the New York Trumpet Ensemble, Saint Luke’s Chamber Ensemble, as well as guest appearances with the Canadian Brass and the Empire Brass. He also released a recording of electro-acoustic music for trumpet and synthesizers with composer Meg Bowles.

For 27 years, Mr. Bilger was on the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music. He is a former faculty member at Temple University, the Hugh Hodgson School of Music at the University of Georgia, Rice University, and held the position of Visiting Guest Artist at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University. He has performed master classes at dozens of institutions, including the Juilliard School of Music, Indiana University, the University of Michigan, the Manhattan School of Music, and the Peabody Conservatory. He has also taught at the Pacific Music Festival, the National Orchestral Institute + Festival, the Aspen Music Festival and School and most recently at the Hamamatsu International Festival and Academy. He has coached NYO-USA and NYO2.

David Bilger holds a Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School of Music and a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Illinois. He is a Yamaha Performing Artist.

Trumpet virtuoso, conductor, and composer Stephen Burns is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Fulcrum Point New Music Project in Chicago. Internationally acclaimed for his dynamic performances and innovative programming, he has appeared on five continents and in major concert halls across North America, Europe, and Asia. A winner of the Young Concert Artists International Auditions, Burns is also a recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant, First Grand Prix Laureate of the Maurice André International Trumpet Competition and the Meier Career Award. Deeply committed to contemporary music, he has premiered works by leading American and international composers and is an active composer himself, with commissions from institutions including the Chicago Humanities Festival and the University of Chicago. His extensive discography spans Baroque to modern repertoire on major classical labels. A sought-after educator, Burns is a certified teacher in The Art of Practicing, is on faculty positions at DePaul University and Northwestern University, as well as leading master classes and seminars internationally. A frequent faculty member at Chosen Vale, Stephen leads daily yoga, meditation, and Performing Beyond Fear exercises.

A native of Chicago and graduate of Juilliard (BM, MM), Edward Carroll (b. 1953) is a trumpeter, conductor, and teacher of international stature. He serves as Professor of Trumpet at the Bard Conservatory of Music. Previous appointments include Coordinator of Brass Studies at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), Associate Professor at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music in 2007 — 2011 (assuming the role of brass area chair in 2009), the International Chair of Brass Studies at London’s Royal Academy of Music and Professor of Trumpet at the Rotterdam (NL) Conservatory. Edward Carroll is the Director of the Center for Advanced Musical Studies at Chosen Vale, and was responsible for the music programming of the California State Summer School of the Arts from 2006-2008. He also chaired the commissioning committee of the International Trumpet Guild (ITG) from 2005 — 2011.

Mr. Carroll has served as Principal Trumpet of the Rotterdam Philharmonic (James Conlon, Jeffrey Tate, and Valery Gergiev, Music Directors), the San Diego Symphony (David Atherton), and as Associate Principal Trumpet of the Houston Symphony (Lawrence Foster), touring most of the world’s major concert halls and festivals, and recording for Sony, EMI, Virgin, and Erato. A frequent guest with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Edward Carroll directed, recorded, and toured with the New York Trumpet Ensemble from 1979 to 1988. He has performed with the London Sinfonietta, Speculum Musicae, Music Today, I Musici di Montreal, Orpheus, the Bach Aria Group, the Handel and Haydn Society (Boston), and as soloist with many North American and European orchestras. Sir Harrison Birtwistle, Larry Polansky, Anne LeBaron, Bruce Adolphe, and Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Moravec are among the many composers that have written new music for him, and his many solo recordings can be found on the Sony, Vox, MHS, and Newport Classic labels.

Mr. Carroll has presented master classes at the Juilliard, Eastman, and Manhattan Schools of Music, the Curtis Institute, Rice and Northwestern Universities, the Universities of Michigan and North Texas, the Interlochen Arts Academy, North Carolina School for the Arts, the Tanglewood Institute, as well as at the St. Petersburg Conservatory “Rimsky Korsakov” (Russia), the Central Conservatory of Beijing and Shanghai Conservatory (China), Bremen Trumpet Academy and Hochschulen für Musik Köln and Trossingen (Germany), The Paris Conservatoire (France), Liszt Academy of Budapest (Hungary), Sofia Conservatory (Bulgaria), Kuopio Conservatory (Finland), Novara Conservatorio “Guido Cantelli” and Bergamo Conservatorio “Gaetano Donizetti” (Italy) and in the UK at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (Glasgow), Royal Academy of Music (London), and Royal Northern Conservatory (Manchester). He is a frequent adjudicator of international competitions, including Porcia (Italy), Rangsit (Thailand), at the Central Conservatory (Beijing), chair of the Ellsworth Smith (Provo), Concert Artists Guild, Young Concert Artists, and Chamber Music America.

Edward Carroll is a Yamaha Artist.

A jurist at the 67th ARD International Music Competition (trumpet) in Munich, Mireia Farrés Bosch joined the Orquesta Ciudad de Granada in 2001 as principal trumpet and remained there until 2004 when she she assumed the same position in the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra OBC. She is a sought after teacher at ESMUC (Escuela Superior de Música de Catalunya) and has also taught at the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Mallorca, the Conservatorio de Granollers, and regularly coaches young musicians in orchestras such as JONC and JONDE (Joven Orquesta Nacional de España). She has also given master classes at many Spanish and European superior conservatories.

Ms. Farrés has appeared as a soloist with the Orquesta Nacional de Andorra, the Orquestra Sinfónica de Granada, the Orquesta Real Filarmónica de Galicia, the Orquesta Sinfónica Salvador de Bahía, the Prague Symphony Orchestra and the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, amongst others.

The JCIN TOYP program has honored Mireia Farrés as an outstanding young person under the age of 40. These individuals exemplify the spirit of the Junior Chamber International (JCI) Mission, and they serve as stellar examples of entrepreneurial spirit, ethical leadership, and have also cited her for her successful cultural activity.

Clément Saunier is a renowned trumpeter and educator, known for his innovative performances and contributions to contemporary music. A graduate of the Conservatoire de Paris, he studied under Clément Garrec and Jens McManama, earning top prizes in trumpet and chamber music.

Saunier has won prestigious awards at international competitions, including those in Porcia, Prague, and Moscow's Tchaikovsky Competition. As a member of Ensemble intercontemporain since 2013, he has premiered numerous works, performing at renowned venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Philharmonie de Paris, and Suntory Hall in Tokyo. His repertoire includes works by Berio, Henze, Pintscher, and Lim.

Saunier has recorded several albums featuring 20th-century trumpet concertos and contemporary compositions, including the acclaimed Directions album. In 2025, he will premiere new works by Hèctor Parra and Jose Miguel Fernandez.

Since 2021, Saunier has taught at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Lyon and performs on Antoine Courtois Confluence instruments.

Rebecca Wilt has received national and international recognition as a virtuoso collaborative pianist. She has worked with many of the world’s prominent wind instrument performers, as well as some of the country’s foremost vocalists, and has performed in many of the world’s greatest venues in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Rebecca has been the premiere pianist for many of the world’s wind-instrument conferences and competitions, including: Dublin Brass Week, the National Brass Symposium, the Ellsworth Smith International Trumpet Competition, the International Trumpet Guild Conference, the National Trumpet Competition, the ARTS competition, the International Trombone Association, the International Horn Society, the North American Saxophone Alliance, the World Saxophone Congress, the Mid-Atlantic Flute Fair, the National Flute Association, the Music Teacher’s National Association, the Rafael Mendez Brass Institute, the Falcone International Euphonium and Tuba Competition, the International Tuba and Euphonium Conference, the Tromp Muziek Biennale, and the International Women’s Brass Conference. She frequently gives workshops and master classes at universities and colleges all over the country on topics involving coaching, instrumental chamber music, rehearsing with a pianist, and the competition road.

Rebecca currently serves as the conference director for the International Trumpet Guild, and is active in recruiting young trumpeters to join the organization and participate in the annual conferences. Prior to her appointment with ITG, Rebecca served on the faculties of the University of Delaware, the University of North Carolina Greensboro, the University of Kentucky, Messiah College, Central Michigan University and the Interlochen Arts Academy. In addition, she is on the summer faculty for the Center for Advanced Musical Studies in Enfield, New Hampshire, and appears as a guest artist at various festivals all over the world.

Bob Malone is one of the most influential trumpet designers and brass instrument specialists of the modern era, widely recognized for shaping the sound and development of Yamaha trumpets over the past four decades. A lifelong trumpet player and master craftsman, Malone has built a career defined by close collaboration with elite musicians, innovative design philosophy, and a deep commitment to helping artists realize their individual sound.

Malone’s journey began as a young trumpet player, where his early interest in performance was complemented by a growing fascination with instrument repair and modification. Mentored by renowned brass technician Larry Minick, he developed his technical expertise before founding his own shop, Bob Malone’s Brass Technology, in 1983. His reputation for precision craftsmanship quickly spread throughout Southern California and beyond, attracting professional musicians seeking highly customized instruments.

His relationship with Yamaha began through repair and dealer work and evolved into a transformative partnership. Malone eventually joined Yamaha in 2001, playing a key role in establishing the company’s Custom Shop and later serving as Director of Winds Atelier and Artist Relations. Over the course of nearly 40 years working with Yamaha instruments, he became a central figure in redefining how brass instruments are developed.

Rather than relying on traditional prototype-driven design, Malone pioneered a collaborative approach centered on individual artists. By working closely with world-class musicians such as Bobby Shew, Wayne Bergeron, and leading orchestral trumpeters, he helped create instruments tailored to each artist’s unique sound and playing style. This philosophy led to iconic models such as the Yamaha Z Trumpet and the Xeno Artist Model series, which have become widely used by professionals and students alike.

Malone’s influence extends far beyond trumpet design. He has contributed to the development of a wide range of brass and wind instruments, including trombones, flugelhorns, and tubas, and even holds a patent for a clarinet barrel. His work has supported major ensembles and artists across genres, from symphony orchestras to contemporary bands, and his instruments are played in leading orchestras around the world.

At the core of Malone’s philosophy is the idea that a great instrument should be “transparent,” allowing the musician’s artistic voice to emerge without interference. This guiding principle—combined with his commitment to continuous improvement—has made him one of the most respected figures in instrument design.

Now transitioning into a consulting role with Yamaha, Malone continues to focus on creative development, mentorship, and collaboration with artists worldwide. His legacy is evident not only in the instruments he has designed, but in the generations of musicians whose artistry has been shaped by his work.

Wayne Tanabe has been associated with brass instrument repair for the past 36 years and founded The Brass Bow repair shop in 1983. With his former company Chicago Brass Works, he has also built a line of handmade custom trumpets.  Widely recognized for his pioneering work in the field of brass instrument repair, he has served as a consultant for instrument design and development of components for various manufacturers. For the band instrument repair field, he has developed and refined the use of cryogenics, ultrasonic cleaning and magnetic dent removal.  Wayne is currently the Senior Artist Relations and Product Development Manager for Yamaha Artist Services in New York City and continues to be involved with repair as well as research and development of brass instruments and components.

Jim Becker, Sr. AR & Products Development Specialist is based out of Yamaha Artist Services Atelier-New York. From October 1989-2022, Jim served as a brass instrument repair specialist for Osmun Music, performing wide-ranging repair and restoration services for brass players throughout the USA. Over the years, he’s honed his skills as a player-technician to meet top brass players’ demands better. This hard work has paid off as the list of top players he has worked with over the years is long and notable. Though a trumpet player, Becker grew an outstanding reputation for trombone work, installing Axial-Flow valves for many notable players, which led to his move to Osmun Music in Boston from Madison, WI. Today, Becker is recognized as one of the USA’s leading experts in repairing, customizing, and restoring professional instruments.

Praised by The New York Times for her “appealingly melancholic sound” and “entertaining array of distortion effects,” Alexandria Smith is a multimedia artist, audio engineer, scholar, trumpeter, and educator who enjoys working at the intersection of all these disciplines. Her research interests focus on integrating methods of making and scholarship into music technology. To explore how electronic music is embodied through practice, she has been experimenting with ways to integrate biofeedback training and sensor observation into her music and designing interactive media applications and environments for performers. Her research in this interdisciplinary area has been published in Arcana Musicians on Music X and presented at the Audio Engineering Society (AES), MoxSonic, New Music on the Bayou, and more. 
 
Alexandria Smith is an active performer-composer in New York City, California, New Orleans, and Atlanta. Recent performances include performing in the premiere of Alvin Lucier’s Orpheus Variations for solo cello, seven wind instruments, and seven dancers, David Behrman’s "Open Space with Brass" with Ed Bear & Ensemble, San Diego Symphony’s Hearing the Future Festival, Tulane’s Music at Midday Series, Instigation Festival, and the Instant Opus Series. She has also performed with Marina Orchestra at French Quarter Fest, Congo Square Fest, and opened for Red Baraat with Marina Orchestra at Tipitina's. 
 
As an improviser/multi-media artist, Smith has had a residency at the Stone NYC and feature recitals on the Future of New Trumpet (FONT) Festival West, Dartmouth’s Vaughan Recital Series, the VI Semana Internacional de Improvisación in Ensenada, Baja California, and Tulane University. She has been a performer at the FONT Festival NYC, Improv Night at the Stone, Chosen Vale Seminar for Advanced Musical Studies, Either/OR Spring Festival. She has performed with Jeff Albert, Anthony Coleman, Billy Martin, Caroline Miller, Justin Peake, Kathryn Schulmeister, Wilfrido Terrazas, the Tilt Ensemble, Dave Taylor, the Versipel Ensemble, John Zorn, and more. Alexandria can be heard on Billy Martin’s GUILTY and Wilfredo Terrazas’ ‘the Torres Cycle’. She has be heard on Billy Martin’s GUILTY and Wilfredo Terrazas’ Torres Cycle.
 
Alexandria specializes in recording/mixing/mastering music that mixes different genres and experimental music. Her work has been referred to by Downbeat as “splendidly engineered.” Alexandria’s recent project as tracking/mix/mastering engineer and co-producer of Grammy-nominated bassist Mark Dresser’s Tines of Change was favorably reviewed by Downbeat, the Wire Magazine, San Diego Union Tribune, Percorsi Musical, All About Jazz, jazz-fun.de-Magazin für Jazz Musik, and more and was rated as one of the ‘Best Solo Albums of the Year’ by bestofjazz.org and best of 2023 by Downbeat. She has worked on recordings by Basher, Filera (Carmina Escobar, Natalia Pérez Turner, and Wilfrido Terrazas), Alvin Lucier, Rand Steiger, Treesearch, TJ Borden, Judith Hamann, and more. Her audio engineering work can be heard on labels such as Pyroclastic Records, Infrequent Seams, Black Truffle, New Focus Recordings, 577 Records, 1980 Records, and Blank Forms. 

She is currently an Assistant Professor of Music at the Georgia Institute of Technology where she is the Principal Investigator of the Creative Music Technology Lab (CMTL). She received her Ph.D. from the University of California, San Diego, and holds an M.M. (with a concentration in Design and Technology Studies - Parsons) and B.M. from Mannes the New School for Music.