Guest Recital: James Ackley, trumpet

Ackley received his B.M. from Baldwin-Wallace College Conservatory of Music and his M.M. from the Cleveland Institute of Music. Former teachers include Michael Sachs (principal trumpet of the Cleveland Orchestra), James Darling (former member of the Cleveland Orchestra), Mary Squire (former principal trumpet with the Ohio Chamber Orchestra), Eugene Blee (former principal trumpet of the Cincinnati Symphony) and additional studies with Alan Siebert at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.  Currently, Ackley is Associate Professor of Trumpet at the University of South Carolina School of Music after holding the same position at the University of Connecticut for six years prior.  Formerly principal trumpet and soloist of the Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra, Ackley has previously held positions as principal trumpet with other orchestras throughout Mexico, the United States and South America.  He currently holds the position of principal trumpet with the Augusta Symphony Orchestra (GA) and is a member of the Bala Brass Quintet.  

Ackley has had the opportunity to work with musicians such as Sir George Solti, Francisco Rettig, Enrique de Patron, Placido Domingo, Fito Paez, Eddie Martinez, Arturo Marquez, Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon, James Levine, Zubin Mehta, Leonard Bernstein, Christoph Eschenbach, Louis Lane, Jesus Lopez-Cobos, and JahJa Ling, among many others. He has collaborated with notable modern composers such as Karim Al-Zand (Concertino for Trumpet and Orchestra), Robert J. Bradshaw (Sonata for Trumpet & others), Cherilee Wadsworth-Walker (Suite for Unaccompanied Trumpet), and Gordon Goodwin (Sonata for Trumpet and Piano).  He performed Bradshaw's Sonata at the 2004 International Trumpet Guild Conference (also recorded on his Recital Music for Trumpet album) and Al-Zand's Concertino at Carnegie Hall.  Ackley has appeared as a guest artist on the "Music for Everyone" program of the Bogotá Philharmonic and on several national television programs in the countries of the U.S., Colombia, Paraguay, Venezuela, Ecuador and Mexico.  He has recorded with several orchestras, most notably the Grammy Award winning Bogotá Philharmonic, as well as numerous television, radio and movie scores.  James has also frequently performed as a soloist and chamber musician at the International Trumpet Guild Conferences (2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012).