School of Music trumpet professor wins top award in the field

The International Trumpet Guild has bestowed its ITG Honorary Award, presented each year to “those individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the art of trumpet playing,” to David Hickman, Regents’ Professor of Trumpet in the ASU School of Music in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. The ITG Honorary Award recognizes extraordinary contributions through one’s performance, teaching, publishing, research and/or composition.

"We are delighted that David Hickman has received this distinguished award," said Heather Landes, director of the School of Music. "It is not only a testimony to his dedication, teaching, tremendous body of work and outstanding contributions to the trumpet field and trumpet pedagogy, but also recognizes the spectacular opportunities that we offer the serious musician at ASU.”

After the announcement, Hickman said, “I am truly honored by this award. It is only given to one or two people each year, and I am proud to represent ASU’s School of Music.”

Hickman is considered one of the world’s pre-eminent trumpet virtuosos and has performed more than 2,000 solo appearances around the world as a recitalist or guest soloist with more than 500 different orchestras. His tours have taken him to Japan, Korea, Spain, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Belgium, France, Austria, Canada, Mexico, Switzerland, Greece, Russia, Thailand, Australia, Costa Rica and virtually every major American city.

Hickman has released 19 solo albums encompassing a wide variety of repertoire, from cornet solos by Clarke, Levy and others, to modern concerti by Planel, Baker and Plog; from baroque works of Bach, Telemann and Hertel, to recital pieces by Chance, Dello Joio and Mendez.

As a noted clinician and author, Hickman has presented workshops on more than 300 major university campuses. He has taught at the Banff Centre for the Arts (13 summers), Rafael Mendez Brass Institute (31 summers), Bremen Trumpet Days and dozens of music festivals. 

He has published more than 40 articles, 250 scholarly editions of trumpet music and several important trumpet and music texts, including “Trumpet Pedagogy: A Compendium of Modern Teaching Techniques,” “Trumpet Greats: A Biographical Dictionary,” “The Piccolo Trumpet,” “The Piccolo Trumpet Big Book,” “Trumpet Lessons With David Hickman” (vols. I-V) and “Music Speed Reading,” a sight-reading method used by hundreds of public school systems and universities or conservatories. His 500-page book, “Trumpet Pedagogy: A Compendium of Modern Teaching Techniques,” is the No. 1 text for university study and is used at more than 200 schools of music around the world.

Hickman joined the faculty at ASU in 1982 and became Regents’ Professor in 1989. Prior to joining the faculty at ASU, he taught at the University of Illinois. He received his bachelor’s degree in music at the University of Colorado and his master’s degree at Wichita State University. He has been a member of the Wichita Brass Quintet, Illinois Brass Quintet, Saint Louis Brass Quintet, Baroque Consort, Wichita Symphony, Champaign-Urbana Symphony and the Illinois Contemporary Chamber Players.

Hickman is founder and president of the acclaimed Summit Brass, a large all-star American brass ensemble that has released 11 CDs, toured the world and hosted annual brass music institutes for thousands of aspiring musicians. He is also a past president of the International Trumpet Guild. Hickman is a Shires Trumpet Artist.

Hickman’s teachers include Harry E. McNees, Frank W. Baird, Oswald Lehnert, Walter J. Myers, Roger Voisin, Armando Ghitalla and Adolph Herseth. His former students occupy or have occupied hundreds of orchestra, band, chamber music and university positions at such institutions as the Philadelphia Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, New Mexico Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Berlin Philharmonic, Mexico City Philharmonic, Baltimore Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Denver Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Oregon Symphony, Mälmo Symphony (Sweden), Florida Gulf Coast Symphony, Charleston Symphony, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Lyric Opera Orchestra of Chicago, Houston Symphony, Woody Herman Big Band, U.S. Marine Band (“President’s Own”), U.S. Coast Guard Band, U.S. Army Field Band, U.S. Army Band (“Persing’s Own”), Wichita Symphony, Tulsa Philharmonic, National Repertory Orchestra, Canadian Brass Meridian Arts Ensemble, Markus Stockhausen Ensemble, San Diego Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Columbus Symphony, Omaha Symphony, Tucson Symphony, Side Street Strutters, Arizona Opera Orchestra, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Cincinnati Conservatory, Michigan State University, University of Arizona, UCLA, Southern Methodist University, University of Denver, University of Oregon, Washington State University, Georgia State University, West Chester University, Kent State University, Southern Illinois University, University of Illinois, Western Illinois University, University of Nebraska-Omaha, Middle Tennessee State University, Towson University, Peabody Conservatory, Northern Arizona University, Western Washington University, Montana State University, Boise State University, Bowling Green State University, Milikin University, SUNY-Potsdam, Texas Christian University, Brigham Young University, University of Kansas, San Diego State University, University of Florida, Grand Valley State University, Murray State University, Western Washington University, Arkansas State University, University of Western Louisiana, Missouri State University, BYU-Idaho, Texas Pan-American University, Bemidji State University, University of Arkansas, Hirim College and many others.

Hickman received the International Trumpet Guild’s prestigious “Award of Merit” for life-time achievement in 2005.