Artist Associate in Trumpet and Co-Director of the Williams Brass Ensemble
Dr. Steven Felix is the Artist Associate in Trumpet at Williams College, where in addition to teaching applied trumpet, he also co-directs the Williams Brass Choir and is Principal Trumpet of the Berkshire Symphony. Prior to teaching at Williams, he was the interim Professor of Trumpet at his alma mater, the University of Massachusetts Amherst. An avid soloist, Dr. Felix has performed in competitions on the national and international level. Most recently, he was awarded first place in the graduate solo division of the 2015 National Trumpet Competition, performing the fourth movement of Anthony Plog’s Concerto No. 2 for Trumpet & Orchestra. In 2011, he was awarded second place in the undergraduate solo division, performing the first movement of John Stevens’ Sonata for Trumpet and Piano. In addition to performing with Berkshire Symphony, Dr. Felix has also performed with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, the Syracuse Symphoria, and is a current active substitute musician with the Albany Symphony Orchestra. His brass quintet, Flower City Brass, was most recently named the 2021 fellowship quintet at the American Brass Quintet seminar at the Aspen Music Festival and School.
In addition to teaching at Williams, Dr. Felix also maintains a private studio comprising primary and secondary level students throughout Massachusetts, with many of his former students having been the recipients of all-district and all-state chairs in both wind band and orchestra. At the collegiate level, Dr. Felix has given guest masterclasses in both applied trumpet and chamber music at such institutions as the University of Rhode Island, the University of Massachusetts, and Methodist University (Fayateville, NC). In March of 2016, Dr. Felix co-coordinated and co-hosted a two-day regional trumpet festival at the Eastman Schoolof Music, helping bring the esteemed talents of Mark Gould, Brian Shaw, Bob Malone, and Wayne Tanabe to the greater-Rochester and Eastman communities.
Throughout his career, Steve’s primary teachers have included Paul Sundberg at Williams College, Eric Berlin at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and James Thompson at the Eastman School of Music.