Ross Wixon, Composer/Trumpet
Ross Wixon is a professional musician in the Washington, DC area who specializes in music composition and trumpet performance. As a composer, Ross tackles a wide range of genres, from choral works to chamber pieces to large orchestral statements, and even music for video games and other multimedia projects. He recently completed a new orchestra commission for the University of Maryland Repertoire Orchestra, Trailing Image, and his 2017 brass octet Rapid Transit was just released by Transit Brass on their debut album Soundscapes. Ross's large orchestral work, In Leviathan's Wake, took First Prize in the 2016 Walter Summer Award for Composition at the University of Maryland and was premiered in May 2017. His composition for solo trombone and string orchestra, Sparkling Dialogue, was written for and recorded by Bryan Bourne, formerly principal trombone of the United States Marine Band, on his 2016 solo CD, Transitions. A complete list of Ross's works and commissions is available under the "Concert Works" page.
As a trumpet player, Ross performs solo, orchestral, and chamber repertoire. In 2012 he completed his debut recording, A Trumpeter's Wedding, with organist Roberto Vela, and he previously recorded rarely heard Baroque works with noted trumpeters Jeffrey Silberschlag and Andrew Balio. His article, "The Trumpet in Mahler's and Strauss's Orchestral Music of Resurrection," appears in the January 2016 issue of the International Trumpet Guild Journal. To hear samples of Ross's playing, click the "Trumpet" link.
Ross earned a Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he studied with Robert Gibson and David Froom. He also holds a Master of Music in Trumpet Performance from Western Michigan University and a Bachelor of Arts in Music from St. Mary's College of Maryland. His primary trumpet instructors include Scott Thornburg, Stephen Jones, and Jeffrey Silberschlag. Ross has taught music courses at St. Mary's College of Maryland, the University of Maryland, the Community College of Baltimore County, Coppin State University, and Western Michigan University. He is also a founding member of District New Music Coalition, a contemporary performance and networking catalyst for the Washington metropolitan region. Alongside his creative pursuits, Ross is the Marketing & Development Director at Washington Revels, a DC-based arts non-profit dedicated to the celebration of cultural traditions.
As a trumpet player, Ross performs solo, orchestral, and chamber repertoire. In 2012 he completed his debut recording, A Trumpeter's Wedding, with organist Roberto Vela, and he previously recorded rarely heard Baroque works with noted trumpeters Jeffrey Silberschlag and Andrew Balio. His article, "The Trumpet in Mahler's and Strauss's Orchestral Music of Resurrection," appears in the January 2016 issue of the International Trumpet Guild Journal. To hear samples of Ross's playing, click the "Trumpet" link.
Ross earned a Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he studied with Robert Gibson and David Froom. He also holds a Master of Music in Trumpet Performance from Western Michigan University and a Bachelor of Arts in Music from St. Mary's College of Maryland. His primary trumpet instructors include Scott Thornburg, Stephen Jones, and Jeffrey Silberschlag. Ross has taught music courses at St. Mary's College of Maryland, the University of Maryland, the Community College of Baltimore County, Coppin State University, and Western Michigan University. He is also a founding member of District New Music Coalition, a contemporary performance and networking catalyst for the Washington metropolitan region. Alongside his creative pursuits, Ross is the Marketing & Development Director at Washington Revels, a DC-based arts non-profit dedicated to the celebration of cultural traditions.