NSU trumpeter plays with top brass in Mile High City

(Tahlequah, Okla.) This July, Northeastern State University student Timothy Moore joined renowned artists at the Rafael Mendez Brass Institute at the University of Denver.

The Grove, Okla. senior worked with some of the worlds most respected trumpet artists, including Allan Dean, trumpet professor at Yale, David Hickman of Arizona State, Alan Hood of the University of Denver, John Marchiando of the New Mexico Symphony and Ronald Romm, a former member of the Canadian Brass.

I learned so much and found so much camaraderie, Moore said. For me it was validation of the instruction I have received and what Ive learned at NSU. I met people from across the country and different parts of the world who have different paradigms. Everyone knew so much and it was exciting to listen to what they play and show how I play.

Moore also took part in a mock orchestral audition and performed in participant chamber ensembles.

The ensembles were a great experience, he said. We were put in different groups and my quintet had students from Denver, New York, California and Michigan. We were coached by Bernard Scully the principal horn for the St. Paul (Minn.) Chamber Orchestra. Of the 17 taking part in the trumpet audition, I made it to the final round of four.

Music became a calling for Moore during his childhood. He often played music with his father, a jazz pianist. Though a lifelong fan of Dizzy Gillespie and Louis Armstrong, it took a few years to settle on the trumpet.

When I was very young I wanted to be a percussionist, only at that age I didn't know what that was, he said. For a while I wanted to play the saxophone, but with the trumpet you only had to operate three valves. My love of the trumpet was the result of a series of happy coincidences.

Moore traveled to Denton in June to study trumpet with Regents Professor Keith Johnson at the University of North Texas. He was the winner of the 2010-2011 NSU Concerto Competition and participated in the International Natural Trumpet Workshop in Bloomington, Ind., in 2010.

Music has been life-changing for Moore and he regards it as a potent form of artistic expression.

I see my trumpet as a tool allowing me to see how I can be an asset to the community, he said. Music brings people together. It can stimulate emotion and foster equality. It can spark love, and I enjoy seeing that love develop into something different, special and unique to each person.

Dr. Jason Dovel, assistant professor of music and Moores adviser, said Moore plays principal roles in all NSU instrumental ensembles including the wind, jazz, trumpet and Baroque trumpet ensembles, the student brass quintet and the jazz combos.

Tim is a highly dedicated student, Dovel said. He is always well prepared for his private trumpet lessons. In addition to boasting extraordinary natural gifts for the trumpet, he has an outstanding passion for his discipline.

Moore had equal praise for Dovel as a mentor.

Its always inspiring listening to him, Moore said. He is dedicated and his love for teaching translates into his instruction and his music. People love listening to him play trumpet even if they don't love trumpet.

When considering people to credit for assistance and inspiration, Moore said he couldn't narrow a list to only a few specific people.

There are so many wonderful people in my life, Im in a near-constant state of thanks and appreciation, he said. I am happy and privileged to enjoy all the experiences of my life.