Jay Jennings has been a member of Snarky Puppy since 2004. Before meeting his Snarky family at the University of North Texas, Jay grew up in the small town of Grapevine, TX. He was lucky to have a piano in the house growing up, which he considers his introduction to music education. Jennings started playing the trumpet at age 11, and by 15 he was already playing professionally. In high school he was selected to the Texas All-State Jazz Ensemble both sophomore and senior years and was selected for the High School Grammy Jazz Ensemble,
Shuailong Chen
Shuailong Chen started learning trumpet at 9 years old and in 2003 he went to study with Rui Chen, Professor of Trumpet at Tianjin Conservatory of Music. In 2006, he participated in Konradin Groth’s master classes and went on to Tianjin Conservatory of Music where he played Principal Trumpet in the orchestra. In May 2008, he won the Gold Medal from the domestic group in the Asia-Pacific Region Trumpet Competition and a year later he won the 7th China Brass Quintet Competition as Principal Trumpet.
James Stretton
James Stretton studied trumpet at Trinity College of Music and with James Austin in Houston, Texas, and has performed with many leading British orchestras. He has toured widely with the Royal Shakespeare Company and also works extensively as a music examiner for Trinity College, London. Formerly he was Head of Instrumental Music at Harrogate Ladies’ College. With the trumpet he has enjoyed a chameleon-like career playing with symphony orchestras, pop bands, brass bands, early music ensembles and big bands.
Audrius Salz
Audrius Salz was born in 1991 in Šilutė, Lithuania. Since childhood, he was surrounded by music records and since the age of 10 he began to show interest in wind instruments and began to play cornet. When Audrius graduated from music school and conservatory, specialising in classical music, he became more involved in jazz and popular music. As time passed, French horn, trombones and saxophones joined his collection of music instruments and performances. Audrius graduated from Klaipėda University and Lithuanian Music and Theatre Academy,
Kyla Moscovich
Growing up in a musical family, Kyla was exposed to different genres of music and more than hinted at her connection with the trumpet at a very early age. It wasn’t long after Kyla began studying trumpet at the age of 9 that she came on the radar of players in both the classical and jazz arenas with her unique sound, technique and performance poise far beyond her years.
Kyla has performed around the globe from an early age.
Hua Li
Hua Li graduated with Distinction from the Central Conservatoire in Beijing in 2006. In the same year he was awarded a full scholarship plus living expenses by the CHEAR Charitable Trust to study at the Royal Academy of Music, London, UK, where he studied with James Watson, Mark David and Rod Franks. In 2009 Hua graduated from the Academy, with a Distinction in his Master of Music degree and the LRAM teaching diploma. During his studying in the UK,
Tianhao Yao
Tianhao Yao joined the Hangzhou Philharmonic as assistant principal trumpet in September 2015.
He started his early training with Ruikai Ji, former trumpet professor of the Central Conservatory in Beijing. He will receive his master of music degree from Shanghai Orchestra Academy (a partnership among Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic and Shanghai Conservatory) in 2016, where he is studying with Matthew Muckey, Ethan Bensdorf, Sergey Tyuteykin and Fei Xia. In 2014, he received his bachelor of music degree from Shanghai Conservatory,
Byron Wallen
Byron Wallen (b. 1969) was raised in a musical family and as a child studied classical piano, euphonium, trumpet, flute and drums. In the mid 1980’s the trumpet became Wallen’s primary instrument of choice.
Wallen’s first major work, Tarot Suite, (1994) was inspired by a love of mythology and symbolism, which reflected the archetypal journey of human life through an interdisciplinary pan-continental approach.
Wallen’s study of cognitive psychology has aided his transition towards conceptualising music as a medium for healing.
Marco Pierobon
First prize in international competitions of Passau (Germany), Imperia and Aqui Terme, Marco Pierobon has been for almost ten years “Principal Trumpet” of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Orchestra – Florence (1999-2002 under Zubin Mehta) and the Accademia di Santa Cecilia Orchestra – Rome (2003-2008 under Antonio Pappano), and has collaborated as “Principal Trumpet” with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (Daniel Barenboim) and the Filarmonica della Scala Orchestra.
He has performed as soloist with the orchestras of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino,
