John Williams - The Flight to Neverland from “Hook”

Franz Joseph Haydn - Trumpet Concerto in Eb Major

I. Allegro
II. Andante
III. Allegro

Ben Fairfield, trumpet

George Gershwin - An American in Paris

Guest Artist - Ben Fairfield

Ben Fairfield, a native of Staunton, VA is the Principal Trumpet of the Abilene Philharmonic, the Co-Principal Trumpet of the West Texas Symphony, a member of the West Texas Symphony’s Lone Star Brass Quintet, and the Artistic Director of the West Texas Symphonic Brass. He frequently performs as a guest member of the trumpet section with orchestras throughout the United States including guest principal with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, New Mexico Philharmonic, Santa Fe Symphony, Boulder Philharmonic, San Juan Symphony, and the San Angelo Symphony. Recent engagements have taken him to New York, NY, Albuquerque, NM, Denver, CO, Miami, FL, Philadelphia, PA, and San Francisco, CA. Prior to his time in Texas, he performed in the orchestras of the Florida Grand Opera and the Miami City Ballet in Miami, FL.

Ben has taught trumpet at Eastern New Mexico University, Auburn University, Barry University, and the University of Miami. He is also a veteran of the United States Army, performing as a member of the United States Continental Army Band at Ft. Monroe, VA. With this group, he performed throughout the United States on tours with both the Concert Band and Brass Quintet. He has performed as a featured soloist with the United States Continental Army Band and several orchestras, performing works ranging from Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 to Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto in Eb, Copland’s Quiet City, and with noted opera singers Placido Domingo, Denyce Graves, Ailyn Perez, and Bryn Terfel. He has also performed at the conferences of the International Trumpet Guild, the American Bandmasters Association, the Texas Music Educators Association, the Virginia Music Educators Association, and in many of the nation’s leading concert halls including Carnegie Hall, the Meyerson Symphony Center, Bass Performance Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts. In March 2017, Ben and pianist Liana Pailodze Harron gave the New York City premiere of Grammy Award winning composer Michael Daugherty’s The Lightning Fields for trumpet and piano at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan, NYC. The duo has also worked with Eric Ewazen on his popular Sonata for Trumpet and Piano, with plans to record the sonata in collaboration with the composer in the near future. The duo’s recording of Lucid Dream, an arrangement of Michael Nyman’s Flugelhorn and Piano can be found on iTunes and YouTube.

Ben currently resides in Arlington, TX. He holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from James Madison University and graduate degrees (MM, DMA) in trumpet performance from the University of Miami Frost School of Music. His teachers include Craig Morris, former Principal Trumpet of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Gilbert Johnson, former Principal Trumpet of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and James Kluesner Professor Emeritus of Trumpet at James Madison University. Additionally, he has studied with Philip Smith, former Principal Trumpet of the New York Philharmonic and Michael Sachs, Principal Trumpet of the Cleveland Orchestra.

Ben is a Vincent Bach performing artist, a division of Conn-Selmer.