2018 Conference Reporting and Photography Staff

Reporting Staff

Javian Brabham (JBr) recently earned his DM degree at Florida State University. He completed the MM degree at the University of New Mexico and the BME degree at Florida State University. An NTC semifinalist and winner of the 2011 ITG Legacy Scholarship, he is an active freelancer and has performed with numerous orchestras.

Jon Burgess (JBu) has been a member of the music faculty at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas since 2000. He is the editor of the Pedagogical Topics column for the ITG Journal.

Brandon Cave (BC) is a trumpet performer and teacher based in the Baltimore/DC area. Brandon serves as Second Trumpet of the American Pops Orchestra and teaches trumpet at Maestro Musicians, Artist Music Center and Loyola Blakefield Jesuit School in Baltimore.

Alexander Davis (AD) is a freelance writer and graduate student at the University of Kansas. He has performed with the Opera in the Ozarks Orchestra, Lubbock Symphony Orchestra, El Paso Wind Symphony, and the 1st Armored Division Band of the US Army.

Kevin Eisensmith (KE) is professor of trumpet and assistant chair of the department of music at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He served as ITG president from 2009 to 2011 and currently serves as secretary.

Luis Engelke (LE) is professor of music at Towson University. Editor of the ITG Journal Music Reviews column, he has authored over 250 publications in numerous journals. He is principal trumpet of several orchestras and has performed with more than 50 professional orchestras internationally.

Scott Hagarty (SH) is associate professor of trumpet and jazz at Del Mar College. He is also a member of the Corpus Christi and Victoria Symphony Orchestras, the Corpus Christi Brass Quintet, and the Del Mar College Faculty Brass Trio.

Benjamin (BH) Hay is instructor of music (trumpet/theory) at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

Leigh Anne Hunsaker (LAH) is professor of trumpet at Hardin Simmons University in Abilene, Texas.

Aaron Jensen (AJ) is a DMA student at the University of North Texas.

Alan Klaus (AK) is assistant professor of trumpet at Memorial University of Newfoundland after appointments at Montana State University and Mount Allison University. He holds the Doctor of Music degree from Florida State University, where he studied with Christopher Moore. 

Elisa Koehler (EK) is professor of music at Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland. She is the author of Fanfares and Finesse: A Performer's Guide to Trumpet History and Literature (Indiana University Press) and is a new member of the ITG Board of Directors.

Will Koehler (WK) is an active performer, educator, and writer. He currently teaches at Bloomington High School North, Northview High School, and Tri-North Middle School and will graduate from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music with a Doctor of Music degree in trumpet performance in 2018.

Marie Mencher (MM), editorial assistant, holds a BA in Latin American Studies from Wesleyan University and a BS in Music Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She will begin a master’s program in trumpet performance this fall at Kansas State University.

Eric Millard (EM) is the visiting instructor of trumpet at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte and previously served as third/associate principal trumpet with the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra. He received his doctoral and master’s degrees from Florida State University and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Kentucky. 

Kyle Millsap (KM) is assistant professor of trumpet and jazz at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. He oversees the dynamic trumpet program and directs the trumpet ensembles, jazz trumpet ensembles, and Jazz Band 2.

Nick Mondello (NM) is a freelance trumpeter, composer/arranger, educator/clinician and writer. He attended the Berklee School of Music and holds BA, MS, MBA, and Prof. Diploma in Educational Administration from Long Island University. He resides in Locust Valley, New York.

Paige Nelson (PN), editorial assistant, is a master’s trumpet student at the University of Northern Colorado, where she studies with Philiip Hembree. She received her BM in music performance from the University of South Alabama while studying with Peter Wood.

J. Peyden Shelton (JPS) is the assistant professor of trumpet at the University of Utah School of Music. He is a Yamaha Performing Artist and member of the electro-acoustic trumpet ensemble Fifth Bridge. 

Spencer Wallin (SW) is currently adjunct professor of high brass at Navarro College. He recently graduated from the University of North Texas (DMA), where he studied with Dr. Jason Bergman and also holds degrees from the University of Michigan (MM) and Brigham Young University (BM). He works as a freelance musician in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, frequently performing on modern and baroque trumpets. 

Justin Way (JW) is entering his junior year as a trumpet performance major at Florida State University. He studies with Dr. Christopher Moore and freelances in the Tallahassee area.

Marisa Youngs (MY) is a performer, educator, and researcher based in Lexington, Kentucky. She recently completed her DMA in trumpet performance at the University of Kentucky and continues to teach and perform in a variety of styles and ensembles.

Photography Staff

Michael Anderson (MA) is the ITG Website director and head photographer for the conference. He serves as professor of trumpet at Oklahoma City University and is a member of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic.

Norman Bergstrom (NB) has been a member of the Blawenburg (New Jersey) Band trumpet section since 1962. He is also the photographer for the Nova Orchestra in West Windsor, New Jersey.

Josh Rzepka (JR) is a Chicago-based trumpeter and composer. A graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory (BM), and Boston University (MM), he has released three solo albums and tours with the retro rock sensation Under The Streetlamp.

Denny Schreffler (DS) has balanced careers in and out of music for almost fifty years. Since retiring from music (for a second time) in 2013, Denny has been an active concert and show photographer in southern Arizona.

Brian Shook (BS) is currently chair of the Mary Morgan Moore Department of Music at Lamar University. Prior to this appointment, he served as the trumpet professor at Lamar for seven years. In 2011, Shook published the biography of New York Philharmonic trumpet legend William Vacchiano, titled Last Stop, Carnegie Hall