Tonight composer and conductor John Williams leads the Chicago Symphony in a concert of his music. A group of WBAAfans are going to the concert which is being recorded for a possible future CSO broadcast! CSO Trumpeter John Hagstrom spoke with WBAA Music Director John Clare about the concert.
Find out more about the concert here. Hagstrom and Clare both attended Wichita State University and previously worked together at the Wichita Symphony and KMUW.
John Hagstrom has been a member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's trumpet section since 1996, when he won the audition for fourth trumpet. A year later, he won the second trumpet position, carrying on the tradition of brass section teamwork for which the CSO is famous. Previously, he was principal trumpet of the Wichita Symphony Orchestra in Kansas, and served as assistant professor of trumpet at Wichita State University.
John Hagstrom has also worked extensively with Yamaha to create several professional trumpet designs in their Chicago Artist Model Series that include top selling Bb and C trumpets. Since its introduction in 2004, the Chicago Artist Model C Trumpet has been the instrument played most often by players winning orchestral positions in major U.S. orchestras. Due to its phenomenal commercial and artistic success worldwide, in 2006 Yamaha selected the Chicago Artist Model C Trumpet to be their 10 millionth instrument ever produced.
A native Chicagoan, Hagstrom grew up listening to the CSO. Five years of study at the Eastman School of Music were followed by six years in "The President's Own" United States Marine Band in Washington, D.C., where he spent three of those years as principal trumpet. His many solo appearances with the band included four national concert tours and the Camp David wedding of (Sr.) President Bush's daughter, Dorothy. Recordings featuring John Hagstrom include his performance of the Bellini Oboe Concerto and the Sachse Concertino with the Chicago Brass Choir, and can also be heard as lead trumpet on Daniel Barenboim's recording on the Teldec label entitled Tribute to Ellington.
