The second installment of my fall performance tour took me to the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY. As a member of the The Gateways Festival Orchestra, we are fortunate to be able to perform in a multitude of performance halls, concert venues, and with incredible artists. This year, we were honored to share the stage with Grammy Award-Winning composer and international trumpet artist,Terence Blanchard!

The idea was to perform music from his most famous film scores, alongside The E-Collective, while incorporating a visual aesthetic to enhance the overall experience. Conductor and Actor, Damon Gupton, is seen below overseeing the musical elements.

In addition to the performance, the members of the Gateways Brass Collective got a chance to go into the studio and record a few tunes in preparation for our upcoming 2026 shows. Including, but not limited to, the HBCU Band Directors Consortium, Winston-Salem performance tour with the Gateways Festival Orchestra, the 50th International Trumpet Guild, and ending the season at Carnegie Hall.

In addition to getting to converse [musically] with wonderful individuals and a likeminded collective…a wonderful surprise was running into one former members of my BUTI (Boston University Tanglewood Institute) trumpet section who is studying trumpet performance at the Eastman School of Music.

At the end of the day, this creative experience was not only healing but a reminder the shear power of live music performance and how it can heal the weary soul…stay tuned!!!