Trumpet Bio
A Texas native with international roots, Nathaniel Mayfield has shared his passion and love of the modern and baroque trumpet with audiences across the world. Honored as a Presidential Scholar in the Arts by President Clinton and the NFAA, a Fulbright Scholar to Germany, a Beebe and Rapaport Fellow, as well as winner of numerous solo competitions (Level 1 Award, A.R.T.S.; International Trumpet Guild Solo Competition; Yamaha Young Performing Artist Competition; Aspen Solo Competition; National Trumpet Competition), Mr. Mayfield is currently on the music faculty at Texas A&M University in College Station, TX, Concordia University, and serves both as Director of Music and on the board at The Austin School for the Performing and Visual Arts (ASPVA). Mr. Mayfield is a graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy, and also the Columbia University/The Juilliard School exchange program, where he studied with Professor Raymond Mase (Chairman of the Brass Department) while earning a degree in history. In addition to studies at Tanglewood Institute, Mr. Mayfield completed two years of postgraduate work at the Hochschule für Musik in Karlsruhe, Germany under Professor Reinhold Friedrich.
Mr. Mayfield has given masterclasses at such institutions as: The Juilliard School, Eastman School of Music, Baylor University, Grinnell College, Texas Christian University, Zagreb Conservatory in Croatia, Lausanne Conservatory in Switzerland, Laval University, and in past years served on the faculty of The American Festival for the Arts, and Domaine Forget in Quebec, Canada. He has appeared as featured baroque trumpet soloist with Mercury Baroque, Ars Lyrica, La Follia, Texas Bach Choir, Camerata Ventapane, Dallas Bach Society, Aulos Ensemble, Houston Chamber Choir, St. Cecilia Festival Baroque Orchestra, and Bach Society Houston, and as principal trumpet with Les Violons du Roy, Des Moines Metro Opera, Singapore Symphony, and Tenerife Symphony, among others. Additionally, he has participated at The Pacific Music Festival Japan, The National Repertory Orchestra, World Youth Orchestra (Jeunesses Musicales International) in Berlin, Germany, Victoria Bach Festival, Round Top Music Festival, and the Aspen Music Festival.
While not traveling, Mr. Mayfield calls his native city of Austin home, where he lives with his wonderful wife Ulrike and beautiful daughter Elizabeth. Other interests include long distance running, studying German, physics and electricity, microbiology, home-brewing, military history, and collecting antique bricks.
Additional Information:
Nathaniel Mayfield has performed as an invited guest artist at The International Trumpet Guild Conference in Banff, Canada, as well as served on the judge’s panel at The National Trumpet Competition in Washington, DC. He will appear again as an artist at the 2011 International Trumpet Guild Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In addition, he is the founder and executive director of The Austin Brass Center, a 501-C3 non-profit dedicated to providing performance and instructional opportunities for high school students in the Central Texas area.
Mr. Mayfield has premiered numerous solo and chamber works for trumpet from contemporary composers such as Eric Ewazen (The Juilliard School), Filip Sande (Norway), Eric McIntyre (Grinnell College), P. Kellach Waddle (two-time Pulitzer Prize nominee), Greg Bartholomew (Seattle, WA), and Jim Stephenson (Chicago, IL). Along with trumpet virtuosi Paul Merkelo and Rex Richardson, he is one of the three trumpeters in “NEXT” Ensemble, a group that incorporates baroque, jazz and classical/romantic trumpet in contemporary/experimental settings.
Mr. Mayfield has also participated, and been recognized in numerous International Trumpet Solo Competitions (Kiev, Ukraine; Markneukirchen, Germany; Ellsworth-Smith International Competition in Bad Säckingen, Germany; Maurice Andre Competition, Paris).