Principal Trumpet
John Carroll is celebrating his 41st season as Principal Trumpet of the San Antonio Symphony. He has twice served on the Orchestra Committee, once as chair, as well as the Conductor Search and Hall Search Committees and has appeared as soloist three times, performing the concertos of Franz Joseph Haydn, Alexander Arutunian, and Bill Conti.
John began his professional career, while still a graduate student at the New England Conservatory, as Principal Trumpet of the Boston Opera Orchestra under the leadership of Sarah Caldwell. During this time he also performed as a freelance musician with the Boston Symphony and the Boston Pops Orchestras. He has played Principal Trumpet in orchestras conducted by Leonard Bernstein, Antal Dorati, Seiji Ozawa, Klaus Tennstedt and Michael Tilson Thomas and for many pop and jazz artists including The Temptations, Ella Fitzgerald, and Dizzy Gillespie.
Dr. Carroll is a dedicated teacher. His students have placed first in All-State orchestra and jazz and have held positions in some of the top orchestras, jazz groups, and music school faculties in the US and Mexico. He hold degrees from Indiana University BM, The University of Texas at San Antonio MM, and the University of Texas Austin DMA.
An avid chamber musician, John has performed hundreds of brass quintet recitals and educational concerts for the San Antonio Symphony and the San Antonio Brass. He has also performed chamber music with the Olmos Ensemble, the Sunriver Music Festival, Camerata San Antonio, Musical Offerings, the Cactus Pear Music Festival, the Indiana University Percussion Ensemble, Gunther Schuller’s Contemporary Chamber Ensemble and the Fromm Contemporary Music Festival.
He is a charter member of the International Trumpet Guild, and a founding member and current CEO and Artistic Director of the San Antonio Brass, Inc.
John’s other interests include musical composition and the use of the computer in making music. Hear some of his work.