National Trumpet Competition

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The National Trumpet Competition is an annual competition held at George Mason University. Trumpeters from all over the country come to George Mason around mid March to duke it out for the title of Best Trumpeter in their division.

1 The instrument
2 How people apply
3 Showdown at George Mason
4 Notes

[edit] The instrument

The trumpet is a member of the brass family of instruments. It is generally regarded as the highest voiced instrument in the family. There is a piccolo trumpet that is occasionally used. The trumpet is a transposing instrument. This means that when it plays a pitch written on the page, it actually sounds another pitch. The trumpet has been around for thousands of years. It has been found in Greek, Roman, and Egyptian cultures as well as through out western culture^[1].

[edit] How people apply

To apply, students from around the country print out an application from the National Trumpet Competition Website. They must make a recording on a CD and send it in. There must me a piano accompaniment and the piece must be a published standard from the trumpet repertoire. They must also send in an application fee of $75 plus a $75 pianist fee. The CDs are reviewed and people are selected to come to George Mason University to compete in person^[2].

[edit] Showdown at George Mason

Once the applicants chosen to compete arrive at Mason, they begin the semi-final round. These are held in the rehearsal rooms in George Mason's Performing Arts Building. They are judged by trumpeters from around the area including Steven Hendrickson of the National Symphony Orchestra, Dr. Dennis Edelbrock, and trumpeters from Washington D.C.'s military bands. Depending on the division, there are about 25-50 competitors. After the first day, about five trumpeters from each division move onto the finals. One winner is selected after the finals which take place in Harris Theater^[3]