Sidney Mear

Sidney Mear (born June 23, 1918) is a legendary trumpet player and former professor at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. He studied with legends such as Herbert L. Clarke, Bohumir Kryl and Edwin Franko Goldman.^[1] He was a member and principle trumpet for the Rochester Philharmonic (1940 - 1968). During his career, he performed under some of the world's most prominent conductors/composers, including Igor Stravinsky, Erich Leinsdorf, Eugene Ormandy, Carlos Chavez, Jose Iturbi, Sir Thomas Beecham, Fritz Reiner and Leonard Bernstein, He was the featured trumpet in the premiere of Aaron Copland's El Salón México, performed by the Mexico City Symphony.

Beginning at the age of 19, he worked for several notable jazz and dance bands, including lead trumpet for Horace Heidt's Brigadiers. His solo performances were featured on many national radio broadcasts, like the hit number "Hot Lips", which first placed this phrase in the American vernacular. ^[2] He performed with Frank Holton (founder of the Holton Instrument Company) and was a soloist with the Karl King Band. He also performed with Edwin Franko Goldman's 60-piece band during the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco.^[2]

When he turned 21, Mear accepted a scholarship to attend the Rochester, New York based Eastman School of Music and pursued his ambition to play in a symphony orchestra. ^[3] He joined the Rochester Philharmonic three years later, in 1940.^[1] His music is featured on recordings with the Eastman-Rochester Orchestra on the Mercury Living Presence record label. The CD's include classic solo performances in Samuel Barber’s Capricorn Concerto, Copland’s Quiet City, and Leroy Anderson’s Trumpeter’s Lullaby, which was recorded in a single take, without rehearsal.^[1] Through the years, Mear was also a member of and recorded with the Orquestra Sinfonica de Mexico and the Philadelphia Orchestra.^[2]

Sidney Mear is married to Elizabeth Irvine Fetter and has five children, including noted human rights attorney Karen Parker. His father, Samuel Edgar Mear, was a cornetist and composer, and one of the earliest members of the American Bandmasters Association. ^[2]

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