biography

Trumpet soloist and crossover artist 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 national television and radio appearances, performed with many orchestras and has an extensive discography (including his solo CD The Virtuoso Trumpet, and upcoming new release Blue Mozart). He tours extensively with Canadian Brass, with the Burgstaller-Martignon NYCrossoverQuartet, and as a soloist in recital and with orchestra, traveling the world over 200 days every year. Mr. Burgstaller has recently accepted an appointment as Distiguished Visiting Faculty at Peabody Institute, teaches every summer at the Music Academy of the West, and in his second decade as a Yamaha Performing Artist.

Joe joined the Canadian Brass in 2001, and with them tours worldwide, performs in recital and with many orchestras (Philadelphia, Minnesota, Ravinia Festival, Baltimore, Seattle, et al.) and contributes arrangments to the group as well. Recent recordings with the group include a Juno-nominated release, Magic Horn, spotlighting Joe in baroque, jazz, world-music and pop idioms (AllMusicGuide heralded Joe's "superb set of arrangments" of the Tango-Neuvo music of Astor Piazzolla), and most recently Canadian Brass: BACH (including his pyrotechnical arrangement of the Bach-Vivaldi Concerto in D). Additionally, Joe's jazz piccolo was featured on the Brass' High Society album that reached #3 on Billboard's classical charts ("[Burgstaller's piccolo] playing throughout this album 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).

Joe also performs with the Burgstaller-Martignon NYCrossoverQuartet, featuring Grammy and Oscar-nominated pianist Hector Martignon, Naumburg Award Winning percussionist John Ferrari, and Grammy-nominated bassist Hans Glawishnig. Their first CD, Blue Mozart, will be released in 2008.

Prior to joining the Brass, Joe was North America's busiest trumpet recitalist, performing nearly 60 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 (a network boasting Jascha Heifetz and Van Cliburn as alumni). As a Yamaha Artist and Clinician, he reached upwards of 5,000 students every season, and The Instrumentalist Magazine ran a feature article on Joe titled "The Next Méndez". Dr. Robert Méndez, son of the legendary trumpeter Rafael 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 the 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 Univeristy (studying with David Hickman). Other teachers include Anthony Plog, Stephen Carlson, Jonathan Greenburg, Gary Gompers and David Fedderly. Joe was awarded Arizona State University's Inaugural "Distinguished Alumnus Award", and the Inaugural "Outstanding Alumnus Award" from Eastern Music Festival.