Dr. Chris Carrillo joined the faculty of James Madison University in 2009 as the studio trumpet professor and principal trumpet of the Madison Brass. He is a Grammy nominated performer and has enjoyed a multi-faceted career in both classical and commercial mediums. Most recently, he has performed as a soloist and chamber music collaborator in Carnegie Hall in New York City, The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., and the City Recital Hall Angel Place in Sydney, Australia.
As a classical musician, Dr. Carrillo is an artist clinician for the Conn-Selmer Corporation as a Bach Stradivarius Trumpets endorsing artist. He has performed with the symphony orchestras of Austin, Abilene, Charlottesville, Corpus Christi, Jacksonville, Memphis, and Victoria, as well as the Austin Lyric Opera and Opera Memphis. As a chamber musician he has performed as a guest artist with the "President's Own" United States Marine Band Brass Quintet, the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, and the Barbwire New Music Project. He has recorded with several ensembles and his most recent recording was with the Dallas Wind Symphony on the Grammy nominated “Garden of Dreams, The Music of David Maslanka” released on Reference Recordings. He has been featured several times on National Public Radio's Performance Today and was a featured soloist on NPR as principal trumpet in the Carnegie Hall World Premiere of John Corigliano’s Symphony No. 3, Circus Maximus.
As a commercial musician, Dr. Carrillo has recorded for several national advertising campaigns and performed as a local musician for several national Broadway touring productions including A Chorus Line, Sweet Charity, Chicago, Wicked, The Producers, and Gypsy. He has performed with such varied artists as Bob Brookmeyer, Marvin Hamlisch, the Harry James Orchestra, Chuck Mangione, the Fifth Dimension, the Temptations, and John Pizzarelli to name a few. He is an alumnus of the Disney College Music Program and performed with several guest artists while in the 1997 Disney College Orchestra at Epcot. Currently, he performs regularly in Northern Virginia and the Washington, D.C. area as a free lance performer.
As an educator, Dr. Carrillo has presented lectures and recitals at several conferences and universities, and in the Summer of 2010, he served as an adjudicator for the International Trumpet Guild's Youth Solo Competitions in Sydney, Australia. He serves on the Artist Faculty of the National Trumpet Competition and is a member of the International Trumpet Guild, the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors, the Music Educators National Conference, and a Grammy Award voting member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. His previous teaching appointments include Texas A&M University-Kingsville, The University of Texas at San Antonio, and The University of Texas at Austin as a teaching assistant to Professors Ray Sasaki and Ray Crisara. He holds degrees from The University of Texas at Austin (DMA, MM), The University of Memphis (BMEd.), and he did additional studies as an exchange student at The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, Scotland.
Email: carrilcj@jmu.edu
Office: 540.568.6972
Students who wish to pursue trumpet studies at James Madison University must first audition for acceptance into the School of Music. Trumpet Auditions consist of a minimum of two selections of contrasting styles and character that will demonstrate the student's technical and musical ability. Selections to be performed should be chosen from the standard repertoire for the trumpet and may include through-composed compositions, movements from a sonata or concerto, or a classical etude. Accompaniment for the audition is optional and memorization is not required.
In addition to the prepared selections, students will be asked to perform two octave major scales and to sight-read. Students with experience in jazz, orchestral excerpts, or piccolo trumpet are invited to perform in these areas, also. The final portion of the audition consists of a short interview with the JMU brass faculty.
If at all possible, students should plan to audition on one of the three-scheduled audition days for the School of Music. Those who are unable to do so may contact Dr. Carrillo to arrange an alternate audition appointment.
