ATA Faculty 2017
John Foster (Australia) Historical Trumpets
John Foster is widely celebrated as one of the world’s leading exponents of performance on historical trumpets and cornetto, and is the artistic director of the renowned ensemble Australian Baroque Brass (2003 – present)
John was also a member of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra (2001-2013). John has appeared as soloist at festivals and concert series worldwide and performed as soloist with many leading orchestras and ensembles, including: the Sydney Symphony, Queensland Symphony, Adelaide Symphony, Christchurch Symphony (NZ), Norwich Baroque (United Kingdom) among others. In 2011 John also performed J.S.Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No.2 with Belgium's leading baroque orchestra 'Il Fundamento' and was a soloist for the launch of the Kammerorchester Basel (Switzerland) 2012 season.
John is dedicated to education and has given master classes throughout the world, including at the Juilliard School of Music (New York), the Oberlin Conservatory of Music (USA), the Cleveland Institute of Music (USA), Sydney Conservatorium of Music, the Royal Northern College of Music (Manchester), the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts, Northwestern University (Chicago) Bern University of Applied Sciences (Switzerland), Conservatorio di Belo Horizante (Brazil) among numerous others. Mr Foster has also enjoyed performing with such orchestras and ensembles as the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Concerto Grosso Heidelburg, Kammermusik Potsdam, Hannoverschen Hofkapelle, Berlin Baroque, St Thomas Boys' Choir of Leipzig, (Germany), Le Concert Lorrain (France), Collegium Musicum Grossmunster (Switzerland), Barokorkest Concerto Vivo (Holland), Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, Symphonie Orchesta de Macau, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia, Orchestra Romantique, and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
Paul Beniston (United Kingdom) Guest Trumpet Soloist and Clinician
Paul Beniston started playing the cornet at Gillingham Salvation Army. He was a member of the European Community Youth Orchestra from 1983–86, and studied Music at Bristol University and the Royal College of Music (MMus in Performance Studies).
Paul was Principal Trumpet at English National Opera from 1989–93 before joining the London Philharmonic Orchestra as Principal Trumpet in 1994. His playing is featured on Karl Jenkins’s The Armed Man, the original Champions League anthem and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, as well as LPO Label recordings of Mahler's Symphony No. 5 under Jaap van Zweden and Shostakovich's Concerto No. 1 for Piano, Trumpet and Strings with Martin Helmchen conducted by Vladimir Jurowski. He was a member of London Brass from 1996–2002.
Paul was a Professor of Trumpet at the Royal College of Music from 1995–2011. He is currently a Professor of Trumpet at the Royal Academy of Music (2011–) and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama (1999–).
Gabriel DiMartino (USA) Guest Trumpet Soloist and Clinician
DiMartino, is currently a trumpet professor at the East Carolina University (USA). He has performed as a member of The Wichita Symphony, The New Columbian Brass Band and the Doc Severinsen Big Band. He has been a featured recitalist, performing both jazz and classical music, at The International Trumpet Guild in Australia; Denver, Colorado; and Grand Rapids, Michigan. DiMartino has been an assisting artist in groups performing with Patti Austin, Allen Vizzutti, rock groups Chicago and Mannheim Steamroller, and other touring artists. He has recorded CDs as a soloist with The Syracuse University Wind Ensemble and with his father, well-known trumpet soloist Vince DiMartino.
DiMartino has also been a member of the summer faculty at Interlochen Center for the Arts and has presented master classes both there and at other institutions. He returns to his hometown of Danville, Kentucky, every summer to perform with The Advocate Brass Band at The Great American Brass Band Festival. DiMartino was a frequent recitalist and member of orchestras, big bands and chamber ensembles in the central New York area where he lived. He also served as adjunct professor of trumpet at Syracuse University. He is a graduate of The Interlochen Arts Academy, DePaul University, and Wichita State University where he was a graduate teaching assistant and received a master’s degree in trumpet performance.
Jason Dovel (USA) Guest Trumpet Soloist and Clinician
A versatile performer on the modern trumpet, Baroque trumpet, and Renaissance cornetto, Jason Dovel joined the University of Kentucky School of Music faculty in 2013. At UK, he teaches applied trumpet lessons, directs the trumpet ensemble, and serves as principal trumpet of the Faculty Brass Quintet. Prior to his appointment at UK, Dovel taught at the University of North Texas, North Central Texas College, and Northeastern State University.
He enjoys a busy schedule as a soloist and clinician in the United States and abroad. He has recorded two highly acclaimed solo CDs; his debut album, Lost Trumpet Treasures, was released in 2014 as a collaboration with pianist Edward Neeman. The International Trumpet Guild Journal reviewer wrote, "On every track, Dovel's and Neeman's nuanced, stylistic interpretations and technical mastery are on full display." The American Record Guide described the disc as "spectacular" and praised Dovel's "full tone and terrific technical skills." The Brass Herald lauded the disc as "well-conceived and well-performed." His second solo CD, Ascent: New Music for Trumpet, was released in 2016 and features eight new works for trumpet, four of which are his original compositions.
As an orchestral trumpeter, he is principal trumpet of the Lexington Chamber Orchestra and spends summers playing in the Ash Lawn Opera Orchestra in Virginia. He has also performed with the Dallas Opera Orchestra, Arkansas Philharmonic, Knoxville Symphony, Tulsa Symphony Orchestra, Lexington Philharmonic, Amici New York Orchestra, Orchestra of New Spain, Tulsa Ballet, Tulsa Opera, Toledo Opera, Symphony of Northwest Arkansas, and many other groups.
A dedicated pedagogue with a passion for research in teaching, he has published articles in the Music Educators Journal, International Trumpet Guild Journal, The Instrumentalist, and the Journal of the Art College of Inner Mongolia University in China.
Also active as a composer and arranger, his works have been performed at the International Trumpet Guild Conference, National Trumpet Competition, Midwest Trumpet Festival, Kentucky Music Educators Association Conference, Oklahoma Music Educators Association Conference, and at the Exploring Brass in Greece International Festival. His works are published through Prestissimo Press, Hickman Music Editions, Mountain Peak Music, and the Baroque Trumpet Shop.
As a chamber music entrepreneur, he is a founding member of Quintasonic Brass, a professional brass quintet, as well as Clarino Collective, a professional trumpet ensemble.
Dovel is involved with the International Trumpet Guild in many capacities, including serving as Chair of the annual ITG Solo Competition, Employment Editor, Conference Reporter, New Music Reviewer, and Recordings Reviewer.
Jason Dovel is grateful for the tutelage of many wonderful teachers, including Keith Johnson, George Novak, Charles Saenz, James Kluesner, Charlie Geyer, Barbara Butler, Barry Bauguess (Baroque trumpet), and Bruce Dickey (cornetto). He holds a doctorate in trumpet performance from the University of North Texas.