INTERNATIONAL - Bemidji State University

wILMerwiSE
Page 54 | International Trumpet Guild Program
Wilmer Wise was born and raised in Philadelphia, and has had a magnificently varied career. He has played with the Dick
Clark Youth Band, The Intruders, the Club Harlem Band of Atlantic City He performed the Haydn Concerto at age 23
with the Philadelphia Orchestra, played principal trumpet in the first Music from Marlboro tour to Europe, recorded with
Pablo Casals, played lead trumpet in the only recording of West Side Story conducted by Leonard Bernstein, played five
seasons with the Baltimore Symphony as assistant principal, served on the faculties of Morgan State and the Peabody
Conservatory, In addition, Wise performed with the New York Philharmonic, the American Symphony, and the Brooklyn
Philharmonic (35 years as principal), recorded most of the Philip Glass movie soundtracks, and played lead trumpet in
more than 30 Broadway Shows, including five Stephen Sondheim hits.
BeNwRiGHT
CoNfERENCE Co-HoSTS
deLLYREN
A former member of the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra and of the Chicago Symphony, Benjamin Wright joined
the Boston Symphony trumpet section in July 2002. While a student at the Cleveland Institute of Music studying with
Michael Sachs, Wright won the International Trumpet Guild and National Trumpet Competitions, as well as the Cleveland
Institute of Music Concerto Competition, and was awarded the Bernard Adelstein Prize for Trumpet Performance
upon graduating. Wright has performed with the National Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, and the
Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra. In June of 2006, he performed as guest principal trumpet with the San Francisco
Symphony including performances of Mahler’s Eighth Symphony.
Wright served as acting assistant principal trumpet in the BSO from 2006 to 2008, and as of February 2010 is the
permanent second trumpet in the BSO. He has given masterclasses at the Manhattan School of Music and Interlochen
Center for the Arts, and has been a guest faculty member for the Bar Harbor Brass and the National Orchestral Institute.
Originally from Brookings, SD, Del Lyren is Professor of Trumpet at Bemidji State University in Bemidji, Minnesota. He has
performed and presented at numerous ITG conferences, as well as lectures presented throughout the world on Rafael
Méndez, and recitals at the Euro-ITG conferences in Bad Sackingen, Germany and Kiev, Ukraine. Other guest artist
appearances have taken him to England (London, York), Scotland, Sweden, Canada, and Mexico.
Dr. Lyren has performed with numerous orchestras throughout the United States, including the Phoenix Symphony,
Phoenix Pops, Acadiana Symphony, Lake Charles Symphony, Rapides Symphony, Mesa Symphony, and Sun Cities
Symphony. For 10 summers, he performed with the International Brass Quintet - the quintet-in-residence at the
International Music Camp. Lyren also made a guest appearance on “Prairie Home Companion” with Garrison Keillor.
Lyren received his Bachelor of Arts degree from South Dakota State University where he studied with John Colson. After
receiving his Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees from Arizona State University, where he studied with
Anthony Plog and David Hickman, his book Magnificent Méndez was published by Summit Records. For many years, Lyren served on the Executive Staff of
the International Trumpet Guild as the Membership Development and Retention Coordinator. Lyren is a Yamaha Performing Artist.
STevewRiGHT
Steve Wright is a nationally recognized trumpet and flugelhorn soloist, as well as a composer-arranger of hundreds of
works. A graduate of the University of Iowa, his professional career began in 1968 as a jazz and lead trumpet player
with the U.S. Air Force Jazz Ensemble, the Airmen of Note. After leaving the Washington, DC in 1972, he moved to the
Twin Cities and resides in Minnetonka. He holds a Bachelors degree from the University of Iowa, plus MM and DMA
degrees from the University of Minnesota. Wright is in his 21st year as associate professor of jazz ensembles, trumpet
and arranging at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota.
As a trumpeter, performances have included everything from pops concerts with the Minnesota Orchestra and Orchestra
Hall Big Band to recording tracks for Motown Records. In addition, he has played lead trumpet for such stars as Tony
Bennett, Sammy Davis, Jr., Peggy Lee, Rosemary Clooney, Johnny Mathis, Joe Williams, the 1991 Special Olympics ABC TV Special and many others. He
played solo trumpet on the award winning EDS.com commercial (the “Cat Herders”) for the 2000 Super Bowl.
The Steve Wright Big Band was formed in 1974 and plays for concerts, shows and private parties. Their 1981 album - Take Two - is available on CD. Wright
has written dozens of jazz ensemble arrangements and compositions for Hal Leonard and Jenson Publications, as well as music for numerous concerts,
industrial shows and recording projects. Jazz ensemble and brass publications are available at www.SteveWrightMusic.com.