Trumpet soloist and crossover artist Joe Burgstaller has performed and taught in 48 states, 21 countries, and hundreds of cities in major venues throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia, has performed and taught at over 70 universities, conservatories and colleges around the world, made numerable national television and radio appearances, performed with dozens of major orchestras and has an extensive discography (including his solo CD The Virtuoso Trumpet, available on iTunes). He is a former member of Canadian Brass and Meridian Arts Ensemble, and has toured extensively as a soloist, including with the "Joe Burgstaller: The Rafael Méndez Project."
Joe enjoyed much critical success as a trumpeter (and soloist) and as an arranger during his tenure with Canadian Brass. He recorded several CDs with the Brass including a 2004 release, "Magic Horn" that spotlighted Joe performing solo feature works in baroque, jazz, world-music and pop idioms, as well his own arrangements of the Tango-Neuvo music of Astor Piazzolla. During his tenure with the Brass he toured worldwide, performed with many symphony orchestras (Philadelphia, Minnesota, Ravinia Festival, Baltimore, Seattle, et al.), arranged for the group (including a television performance with Raffi honoring Nelson Mandela), and was featured improvising on flugelhorn and piccolo trumpet on a Canadian Top 30 version of "The Little Drummer Boy."
Prior to joining the Brass, Joe was North America's busiest trumpet recitalist, performing nearly 60 solo concerts every season. He was one of the all-time most popular soloists at Community Concerts (a network boasting Jascha Heifetz and Van Cliburn as alumni). As a Yamaha Artist and Clinician, he reaches upwards of 5,000 students every season, and The Instrumentalist Magazine ran a feature article on Joe titled "The Next (Rafael) Méndez." Dr. Robert Méndez, son of the legendary trumpeter, wrote of Joe: "He's mastered my father's works."
Joe was also a member of New York City's avant-garde Meridian Arts Ensemble, and with the group performed worldwide at concert halls and clubs including NYC's Knitting Factory and CBGB's, and Amsterdam's Bimhuis, recorded with Dweezil Zappa, received the ASCAP Adventurous Programming Award (over the Kronos Quartet) and recorded several of his own compositions and arrangements. Gramophone Magazine heralded Joe's original work Lullaby as "an understated gem." Joe began the cornet in Chicago at age six, by twelve was improvising jazz, soloing with area bands and jazz clubs, and by fifteen was the youngest professional in the Virginia Opera Orchestra. He returns to Virginia often, soloing with the Virginia Symphony and Anthony Newman at the Finale Concert for the Virginia Arts Festival. He holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Arizona State University, where he studied with David Hickman. Joe was awarded ASU's Inaugural "Distinguished Alumnus Award," and also the Inaugural "Outstanding Alumnus Award" from Eastern Music Festival. Yamaha has been instrumental in Joe's career ever since his college brass quintet won the Yamaha International Brass Ensemble Competition.
