George Vosburgh

Associate Teaching Professor of Trumpet & Wind Ensemble Studies
Director of Wind Ensemble

Bio

Conductor George Vosburgh has enjoyed a long and multi-faceted international career as a soloist, orchestral musician, teacher, and conductor. He holds a Grammy for his 1985 recording of L’Histoire du Soldat with Chicago Pro Musica, and is a laureate of the ARD Music Competition in Munich. From 1992-2017, he held the Martha Brooks Robinson Principal Trumpet Chair in the Pittsburgh Symphony. He has taught at Carnegie Mellon University since 1992 and has been Director of the Carnegie Mellon Wind Ensemble since 2011.

Vosburgh began his orchestral career at age nineteen as third trumpet and assistant principal of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of David Zinman. In 1979, he joined the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Sir Georg Solti as the youngest member of the orchestra's celebrated brass section. He was named Principal Trumpet of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra by Lorin Maazel in 1992. In 2003, he was invited to become Principal Trumpet of the World Orchestra for Peace under the direction of Valery Gergiev. Vosburgh’s many appearances as soloist have included the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Seattle Symphony, the Bavarian Radio Symphony, the Calgary Philharmonic, the Ravinia Festival Orchestra, and the Eastman Wind Ensemble.  He has premiered works by André Previn, Rodion Shchedrin, Ralph Shapey, and Shulamit Ran.  In solo and chamber music settings he has collaborated with such artists as Pinchas Zukerman, Yefim Bronfman, and Chen Reiss.

An experienced and committed educator, Vosburgh has given masterclasses at universities and conservatories across Europe, Asia, and the United States. Recent masterclass appearances include the Yale School of Music, Northwestern University, the University of Michigan, U.C.L.A., and the Tanglewood Festival. He teaches private lessons, classes on repertoire and pedagogy, and is Director of Wind Ensemble Studies at Carnegie Mellon University. Recent work with the Carnegie Mellon Wind Ensemble includes recordings of works by Mozart as well as a CD of works by Leonardo Balada for the Naxos label. As a conductor, Vosburgh has appeared with the American Conservatory of Music Orchestra, the Duquesne University Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony, the Rolandsek Festival Chamber Orchestra, and the Gran Canaria Philharmonic.