Donald Batchelder, Principal Trumpet
Biography:
Donald Batchelder has been Principal Trumpet of the Stamford Symphony since 1987. He is Principal Trumpet of the New York City Opera Orchestra, where he has played full-time since 2000. He is a member of the music faculty at Montclair State University's John J. Cali School of Music, where he also holds the position of Brass Coordinator. Recognized as an outstanding soloist and orchestral trumpeter in the New York area for many years, he performs frequently with the Metropolitan Opera, the New Jersey Symphony, the American Symphony, and on Broadway. In addition to his positions with the New York City Opera and the Stamford Symphony, Mr. Batchelder holds the principal trumpet chair in the Westfield (NJ) Symphony.
Mr. Batchelder earned both a Bachelors and a Masters Degree from the Juilliard School, where he studied with William Vacchiano and Mel Broiles. Other influential teachers include Vince Penzarella, Arnold Jacobs and Philip Smith. Among Mr. Batchelder's recent solo appearances: a solo clinic at the 2008 New York Brass Conference; Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 with the Stamford Symphony; When Speaks the Signal-Trumpet Tone by David Gillingham, with both the Montclair State University Wind Ensemble and the Ridgewood Concert Band; the Shostakovich Concerto for Piano and Trumpet with both the Stamford Symphony and the New York Virtuosi; the world premiere of Trent Johnson's Concertino for Trumpet and Organ; David Sampson's Triptych with the Westfield Symphony; and Herbert L. Clarke's Southern Cross with the Goldman Band.
Mr. Batchelder and his wife, Lisa, met twenty-three years ago at a rehearsal for the Westfield Symphony's first subscription concert. They live in West Orange, New Jersey and have two sons in college.