Third annual Trumpet Festival showcases range of talent

The third annual Virginia Tech Trumpet Festival will fill the Squires Student Center with the music of talented guest artists and faculty and student trumpeters throughout the weekend of Sept. 28–30.

Proceeds from the festival will benefit the Allen Bachelder Trumpet Scholarship fund, which seeks to award two scholarships each year: one to an incoming student and one to a current student who consistently raises the bar. 

The Virginia Tech School of Performing Arts will welcome world-class trumpeter Allen Vizzutti on Friday, Sept. 28, at 7:30 p.m. in the Squires Haymarket Theatre. Vizzutti — who has played with the NBC Tonight Show Band and soloed at such venues as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Hollywood Bowl — will be joined by the Virginia Tech Jazz Ensembles.

“Vizzutti’s playing is not only an example of great artistry, but also the athletic act of trumpet playing,” said Jason Crafton, the associate professor of trumpet who directs the Virginia Tech Jazz Ensembles. “He is, without doubt, one of the great trumpet virtuosi of the past 40 years.” 

Trumpet aficionados will want to return to the Squires Recital Salon on Saturday, Sept. 29, at 4 p.m. for the Virginia Tech Trumpet Festival Concert featuring Vizzutti; Crafton; James Bean, director of the Highty-Tighties; and Chris Thomas, the 2017 Bachelder Scholarship winner. 

“Receiving the Bachelder Scholarship really helped to affirm the work I’ve been doing these past few years,” said Thomas, a Virginia Tech senior majoring in trumpet performance. “Musicians are famous for being highly self-critical, always finding the flaws they need to iron out in performances. I’m no exception to this. But the Bachelder Scholarship has been a great opportunity for me to reflect on the work I’ve done and to look forward to the milestones ahead.”

To conclude the weekend, baroque trumpeter Adam Gordon will perform in the Squires Recital Salon on Sunday, Sept. 30, at 2 p.m. Gordon, a former teacher of Crafton, is a member of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. His musical selections will feature 17th- and 18th-century pieces suited to the baroque trumpet, an instrument that has no valves.  

Both the Virginia Tech Trumpet Festival and the Bachelder Scholarship received a significant boost this past spring, when Crafton led a campaign through JUMP, Virginia Tech’s crowdfunding platform.

“My travels as a professional musician have taken me to every corner of the United States and around the world,” said Crafton. “During these journeys I’ve been struck by one thing: Great art and strong communities go hand in hand. This support does so much more than provide tuition relief for deserving students. It also sustains and expands our community of musicians and helps all our students reach their goals.”

Tickets and Parking

Tickets may be purchased online, at the Student Centers and Activities Ticket Office on the first floor of the Squires Student Center, or by calling 540-231-5615. Tickets will be available at the Squires ticket office beginning one hour prior to each performance.

Free parking is available on weekends and after 5 p.m. on weekdays in the Squires Lot, located at the corner of College Avenue and Otey Street; in the Architecture Annex Lot on Otey Street; and in the Perry Street/Prices Fork lots. Find more parking information online or call 540-231-3200. Alternative parking is available in the Kent Squires parking garage and the Farmers Market metered parking lot, both located on Draper Road. Additional downtown Blacksburg parking information is available online.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please email Susan Sanders or call 540-231-5200 during regular business hours prior to the event.

Written by Anne Wehr, a graduate student in arts leadership in the School of Performing Arts.