biography

Trumpeter JOE BURGSTALLER has performed and taught in 48 states, 21 countries and hundreds of cities throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia, has performed and taught at over 70 universities, conservatories and colleges around the world, made numerable television and radio appearances, performed with many orchestras and has an extensive discography. Joe tours as a soloist in recital and with orchestra, with his breakout jazz crossover group BurgstallerMartignon4, and as a clinician and teacher, traveling the world hundreds of days every year. He is former member of Canadian Brass (7 1/2 years) and Meridian Arts Ensemble (7 years), as well as several other contemporary music groups, and was one of the all-time most popular soloists at Columbia Artist's Community Concerts. Joe teaches trumpet and chamber music at Peabody Institute (Distinguished Faculty), teaches every summer at the Music Academy of the West, and is in his second decade as a Yamaha Performing Artist.

The BM4 (BurgstallerMartignon4) vaulted into the top 50 US Jazz-Radio Charts in the Spring of 2009 starting with the very first week of their first release, "Mozart's Blue Dreams & Other Crossover Fantasies" (Summit Records).. Their music combines Jazz and Classical into an organic hybrid that has simultaneaously ignited the excitement of both Classical and Jazz fans alike. Joining Joe are All-Stars Hector Martignon (Pianist- Grammy and Oscar Nominated, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Ray Barretto), Hans Glawischnig (Bass - Grammy Nominated, Chick Corea, David Sanchez) and John Ferrari (Percussion - Naumburg Award Winner, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Yo-Yo Ma). In an industry leading move, Yamaha Corporation of America debuted Joe's inventive music videos as part of the CD release. Critics are raving: "Hip and approachable... Majestically sublime beauty...Ethereal moments of true beauty and genius" says AllAboutJazz.com. "Stunning... Mozart surely would consider this hip if he revisited the planet to jam with them" says Jazz Notes.

Mr. Burgstaller teaches trumpet, chamber music and a special 8-part series of all-instrument performance masterclasses at The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. Joe and trumpet teaching partner Ed Hoffman (Baltimore, North Carolina and Phoenix Symphonies) have built a groundbreaking one-of-a-kind trumpet studio that prepares their students for the demands and reality of today's music world. Joe's teaching emphasizes creativity, connection, versatility and entrepreneurship, and he combines the best of traditional techniques with an innovative mental training approach that has its roots in the field's modern breakthrough discoveries of the last two decades.

Joe was a member of Canadian Brass for 7 1/2 years, serving the third longest tenure on trumpet in the history of the group. Joe toured worldwide with the Brass, performing in recital and with orchestra (Philadelphia, Minnesota, Detroit, Houston, Baltimore, New Jersey, Seattle, et al.) and contributed arrangements to the group as well. Recordings with the Brass that spotlight Joe include a Juno-nominated release, Magic Horn, (AllMusicGuide.com heralded Joe's "superb set of arrangements" of the Tango-Neuvo music of Astor Piazzolla), BACH (his pyrotechnical arrangement of the Bach-Vivaldi Concerto in D " - sheer breathtaking virtuosity" - DigitalIndie.net), Legends (featuring his La Virgen de la Macarena - "Unbelievable Virtuosity" - DigitalIndie.net) and High Society ("Burgstaller's piccolo playing is no less than perfect and in fact there were times when I had to pinch myself for thinking that I heard a high clarinet!" - Brass Herald Magazine), which reached #3 on Billboard's classical charts.

Prior to 2001, Mr. Burgstaller was North America's busiest trumpet recitalist, performing over 50 solo concerts every season with his Joe Burgstaller: The Rafael Méndez Project. He was one of the all-time most popular soloists at Community Concerts (Jascha Heifetz and Van Cliburn are alumni). During this time Joe recorded his first solo CD "The Virtuoso Trumpet", recreating the work of both Méndez and Heifetz. The Instrumentalist Magazine dubbed him "The Next Méndez". Dr. Robert Méndez, wrote of Joe: "He's mastered my father's works."

Joe is also a former member of New York City's Meridian Arts Ensemble, and with that group performed worldwide at concert halls and clubs including NYC's Knitting Factory and CBGB's, and Amsterdam's Bimhuis, received the ASCAP "Adventurous Programming Award" (shared with the Kronos Quartet) and recorded several of his own compositions and arrangements. Gramophone Magazine heralded Joe's original work Lullaby as "an understated gem."

Joe began the cornet at age six, by twelve was improvising jazz and soloing with area bands and jazz clubs, and by fifteen was the youngest professional in the Virginia Opera Orchestra. He received both his Bachelor's and Master's Degrees from Arizona State University (studying with Regents' Professor David Hickman). Joe was awarded Arizona State University's Inaugural "Distinguished Alumnus Award", and the Inaugural "Outstanding Alumnus Award" from Eastern Music Festival.