Raymond Mase

Trumpeter Raymond Mase has distinguished himself as soloist, chamber artist, orchestral player, and pedagogue. As a member of the American Brass Quintet from 1973 to 2013, he performed worldwide, premiered more than 100 new works for brass, and is heard on more than 35 of the Quintet’s recordings. He contributed many of his own editions of 16th-, 17th-, and 19th-century brass music to the ABQ library and its highly acclaimed recordings, and he was instrumental in the group’s recordings on Civil War period brass instruments. His ABQ editions of Renaissance music are published by Medici, Balquhidder, and Hickman Editions.

As a soloist, Mase has appeared with the American Composers Orchestra, Boston Pops, Moscow Soloists, Naumberg Orchestra, New York Virtuosi, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and Summit Brass, at the Bethlehem Bach and Aspen Music Festivals, and in recitals nationally with the popular trumpet and organ duo Toccatas & Flourishes. He premiered David Sampson’s trumpet concerto, Triptych, with the American Composers Orchestra at Carnegie Hall and recorded the work for Summit Records. Mase can be heard on more than 140 recordings, including as soloist with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Summit Brass, the contemporary music group Parnassus, and on two solo compact discs, Trumpet in Our Time and Trumpet Vocalise.

Mase, who retired as principal trumpeter of the New York City Ballet Orchestra in 2019, was formerly a member of the American Symphony and American Composers orchestras and has performed and recorded with many New York based ensembles including the New York Philharmonic, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Speculum Musicae, Orpheus, and Musica Sacra. He has been chairman of the brass department at Juilliard since 1991 and artist-faculty member of the Aspen Music Festival and School since 1973. He was the 2014 recipient of the FONT (Festival of New Trumpet) award of recognition for his contributions to contemporary brass music and has served on the board of directors of Chamber Music America. Born in Meriden Connecticut, Mase received his bachelor’s degree in 1973 from the New England Conservatory, where he was a student of Armando Ghitalla.