Herbert Smith, Trumpet

Herb teaches musicians and non-musicians of all ages. He began his Artist and Residence work with the now-disbanded Rochester Chapter of the Aesthetic Education Institute, and is frequently involved in residencies with the Rochester City School District and many school districts in the surrounding areas. Herb also does masterclasses and lectures on trumpet technique, endurance and sound production; works with high school bands and Orchestras as teacher and soloist; and teaches private lessons out of his home.

As a Composer he has been commissioned to write pieces for Brass Ensembles, High School Choirs, Jazz Ensembles and trumpet Ensembles, all the while composing for his jazz trio. Herb’s composition “The twelve tones of Christmas” for trumpet, piano and voice, was premiered in Carnegie hall in 2008. Recently Herb was commissioned to write a ballet for the Garth Fagen Children’s Ensemble. It was a 6-part work ranging in many styles including Reggae, classical, Jazz and Funk totaling over 40 minutes in length, a piece for High School Choir SATB that was premiered in 2014 at The Finney School and a fanfare for the dedication of the new Auditorium at Our Lady of Mercy School for Young Women.

Herb’s latest venture encompasses conducting. Herb had his orchestra conducting debut with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra in January 2019, leading a show aimed at tearing down the musical hierarchy of classical music and bringing it to the youth. He is a faculty member at the Rochester Institute of Technology where he directs two Jazz bands and is frequently requested to conduct all county big bands in the surrounding counties of upstate NY.