Dennis Edelbrock, DMA
Adjunct Professor, Trumpet: George Mason University
Founder and Executive Director of The National Trumpet Competition
NTC is the world’s largest instrument competition & has provided performing opportunities for over 14,000 students in its 30 year history
…”incredible technique”...the Washington Post
Grammy Award: The Washington Chorus: Berlioz Requiem
2013 Grammy Music Educator Award Nomination – Recording Academy
In Partnership with the GRAMMY Foundation
2013 “Lincoln” Spielberg “Dreamworks” Academy Award Winner
Retired from U.S. Army Band at the rank of Sergeant Major-awarded Legion of Merit
2012 Release: Steven Spielberg/ John Williams; Dreamworks“Lincoln”
2012-2015 Webcast: The Kennedy Center: “Messiah”
2012 December NBC Broadcast:” Christmas in Washington” with President Obama
2012 International Trumpet Guild Clinician
2012 China Tour performing as soloist with the Beijing Wind Symphony &
Adjudicating Chinese National Band Festival
2012 Russia Tour performing as soloist at St. Petersurg & Moscow Conservatories
& Russian National Television
2013 Recording: Warner Brothers
2013 GRAMMY National Teaching Award Nomination
2013 Release: National Geographic: “Killing Lincoln”
GMU “Teaching Excellence” Award
2014 Russian Tour-St. Petersburg, Moscow-Trumpet Conference
2015 American Festival Pops Orchestra; Soloist and Principal Trumpet
2015 Residence at Ohio State University
2015 Residence at N. Dakota State University
2016 Guest Artist at the Asian Pacific Band Directors Conference
EDLBRK@AOL.COM cell. 703.517.2740
Dennis Edelbrock has performed with The United States Army Band and the Army Brass Quintet since 1975. Since that time, he has also written music used frequently at official state ceremonies at the White House, NBC’s “Christmas in Washington”, country music’s televised show “Nashville Now”, as well as music used in the opening ceremonies for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games and Special Olympics. He is also the founder of The National Trumpet Competition and adjunct professor of trumpet at George Mason University and keeps an active performing schedule in the Washington, DC area. As an adjunct professor at GMU, he was awarded the prestigious “Excellence in Teaching Award” in 1996, one of only two faculty members to be recognized that year.
He has given masterclasses all over the world including the Moscow and St. Petersburg Conservatories.
The Army Brass Quintet entertains at the White House and has toured in thirty-eight states as well as twelve foreign countries. The Quintet has also recorded extensively and has performed on National Public Radio, The British Broadcasting Corporation, NBC’s “Today Show” and Fox television, The Prairie Home Companion, among others. The ensemble has been repeatedly chosen as the first to perform honors for newly inaugurated Presidents and also chosen for Capitol Rotunda State Funeral services for Presidents Reagan and Ford during
national telecasts at the capitol. The Quintet has performed in a “live” Russian National TV broadcast in conjunction with the Russian National Orchestra.
The National Trumpet Competition is the largest in the world and has provided performing opportunities for over 14,000 students since its inception in 1992. In exhibition concerts, it has featured such artists as Canadian Brass, Grammy Award winners Arturo Sandoval and Chris Botti as well as Doc Severinsen, Maynard Ferguson, Alan Vizzutti, Adolph Herseth, Tim Morrison, Jamey Aebersole, Mnozil Brass, Philip Smith among many others. Its website hosts online masterclasses by some of the world’s greatest artists and has hosted 1.5 million visits. NTC is supported, in part, by all the major trumpet manufacturers and has raised over $1 million for young artists since its inception. Its trumpet pedagogy and masterclass video archive is believed to be the world’s largest.
In recent years, Edelbrock has performed with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the Bolshoi and Kirov ballets, the New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theater, the Royal Spanish Ballet, the Kennedy Center Orchestra with whom he performed the world’s first web-cast as soloist in Handel’s “Messiah”, the Washington Opera, and the National Symphony Orchestra with whom he has recorded.
Performances with Classical Brass, of which he is a founding member, have been featured on local live radio broadcasts on NPR and broadcasts from The National Gallery. The Quintet does two national television broadcasts from the National Cathedral on Christmas and Easter mornings. Additionally, the group has commercially released compact discs including “Honor to Our Soldiers” (American Heritage Society) featuring performances on original civil ward instruments, “Christmas at the Cathedral” (Nonesuch) which has recently been nationally released, and “Music from America’s Golden Age” with the Columbian Brass Band.
Edelbrock has appeared numerous times as a soloist with the Kennedy Center’s Washington Chamber Symphony on NPR. He is an original member of the Washington Bach Consort which holds the honor of being the only American ensemble invited to perform at the Bach Tri-Centennial in a Leipzig Gewandhaus performance which was broadcast on East German State Television.
He has performed on screen as a soloist in the video version of “Contact” (Sony Pictures), “Wag the Dog” (Miramax) and was featured on the filmscore of Tri-Star’s motion picture, “Gardens of Stone”. Edelbrock has also been a frequent performer on the “Discovery Channel” sound tracks.
A native of Iowa City, Iowa, he is a graduate of the University of Iowa. He completed advanced studies at the Catholic University earning both a Master of Music Performance and Doctor of Music Arts degrees. He devotes as much time as possible to volunteer work with local youth groups and resides in Arlington, VA with his wife Laura, a pianist and choral director, and fifteen-year-old daughter Emma. He does much volunteer and missionary work with youth from his church and has started a 5K Charity Bunny Hop Fundraiser to support local charities.
Awards & Reviews
Academy Awards (2) “Lincoln” Spielberg/Dreamworks
Grammy Award; The Washington Chorus; Berlioz Requiem
“Excellence in Teaching Award” , one of only 2 given for the adjunct GMU faculty-1996
The Legion of Merit; U.S. Army; the nation’s highest peacetime award
Meritorious Service Medals (2 awards); U.S. Army
The International Trumpet Guild Journal, September 1, 2000
…”dazzling, lyrical playing”
The Washington Post, March 12, 2000 … ”performed with reckless abandon”
The Washington Post, December 19, 2006 … ”incredible technique”
The Washington Post; December 11, 2007 … ”scaled a treacherously difficult
solo with total accuracy and brilliant tone”
Movies
“Gardens of Stone” (Tri-Star Pictures-James Caan) DE plays
the trumpet interludes And “Taps”
“Contact” (Sony Pictures-Jodie Foster) original version has the
scene from Sec. of Commerce Ron Brown’s State Funeral
attended by President Clinton w/ DE performing “Taps”
“Wag the Dog” (Miramax – Dustin Hoffman) also as the scene
from Commerce Sec. Ron Brown’s State Funeral with
DE playing “Taps”; taken off of the evening news which is
“public domain”
“Lincoln” Spielberg (“Dreamworks”) Daniel Day Lewis 2013 release
Sound Tracks
He has performed on screen as a soloist in the video version of “Contact”
(Sony Pictures), “Wag the Dog” (Miramax) and was featured on the filmscore of
Tri-Star’s motion picture, “Gardens of Stone”. Edelbrock has also been a frequent
performer on the “Discovery Channel” sound tracks.
GMU Trumpet Ensemble Performances
Washington Wizards - National Anthem perfomed – televeised on ESPN 2
Washington Nationals - National Anthem performed – webcast on Nats site
The American Festival Pops Orchestra Herald Trumpet Section
Student Achievements and Full-Time Job Placements
Scott Jones (Private Studio)
Director of Symphonic Band; Ohio State University
Scott Weiss, MME (GMU Studio)
Asst. Director of Bands IU
Director of Bands, University Of Kansas
Director of Bands, University South Carolina
Jeremy Archer, BME (GMU Studio)
US Army Bands
Terry Bingham (Private Studio)
U.S. Army Band
Finalist for San Francisco Symphony Orchestra
Finalist for N.Y. Philharmonic
Army Brass Quintet
Abby Byrom (GMU Studio)
Fairfax County Schools
Rex Richardson (Private Studio)
Rhythm & Brass, VCU Faculty
Solo and recording tours include 15 foreign countries, Jupiter Artist
Julie Brett (Private Studio)
U.S. Army Bands
Dr. Amy Cherry (Private Studio)
Westchester State University
William Dunn (GMU Studio, Dr. program)
U.S. Navy Band
Catherine Armstrong Getchell (Private Studio)
Principal Trumpet, Yale Philharmonic
Lisa Gleason (Private Studio)
U.S. Army Band
Mark Metrinko, BME (GMU Studio)
Army Fife & Drum Corps
American University Instructor
Grammy Award Winning show “Blast”
Dr. Paul Gerossi, BME (GMU Studio)
Miami University of Ohio
Kerry Moffitt (Private Studio)
Air Force Band, Langley Air Force Base
Jennifer Dayton, BME (GMU Studio)
US Air Force Band; Washington DC
Sarah Botez (Private Studio)
U.S. Army Band, West Point
Ray Brown, MM (GMU Studio)
Army Fife & Drum Corps
Buddy Deshler, BME (GMU Studio)
Busch Gardens Jazz Quintet
Fredericksburg Brass Conference
Ryan Hastings, BME (GMU Studio)
Army Fife & Drum Corps
Brian Hubler (Private Studio)
Finals, Air Force Band of Flight
Army Fife & Drum Corps
Brett Lembley (GMU Studio)
Professor of Trumpet, WV Frostburg State University
Pat McGee, BM (GMU Studio)
“Blast” touring company, Japan & London Tours
US Army Bands
Blaine Misnor (Private Studio)
Cue Studio, Falls Church, VA: Recording Engineer
Dan Hill, BME (GMU Studio)
Fairfax County Public Schools
Zac Gomez, MM (GMU Studio)
Fairfax County Public Schools
Louis Perez, BME (GMU Studio)
Fairfax County, Frost Middle School
Drew Ross, BME (GMU Studio)
Fairfax County; Chantilly HS
Bram Smith, BME (GMU Studio)
Loudon County
Mike Bandy, BME (GMU Studio);
Fairfax County Schools
Bryan Baldwin, BME (GMU Studio)
Fairfax County. Marshall HS
Doug Martin, MM (GMU and Private Studios)
Fairfax County; McLean HS
Will Daines, BME (GMU Studio)
Fairfax County Public Schools
Aaron Broaddus, BM (GMU Studio)
Director of Bands, Georgetown University
Natalie Perrell, BME (GMU Studio)
Award winning “Blast” Japan tour
Susan Harvey (Private Studio)
Assistant Professor of Music at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, TX.
Anthony Simpson (Private Studio)
US Army Band program
Dr. Joseph Montelione (GMU Studio)
Professor of Trumpet, Tennessee State University
Professor of Trumpet, University of Florida
Dr. Wendy Brown Matthews (GMU Studio)
American University Trumpet Teacher
Georgetown University, Director of Bands
NOVA Community College, Department Director
Wayne State University, Director of Bands