Billy Hunter - Important Components of your Daily Warm-up

Time Stamps

0:55 Benefits of a consistent daily routine
1:36 Mouth Piece Buzzing
6:01 Lip Slurring
7:09 Example: slow-paced lip slur
8:53 Example: medium-paced lip slur
9:45 Example: fact-paced lip slur
10:56 Tonguing
12:28 Example: single tonguing
15:09 Example: Multiple tonguing (double)
19:36 Example: Multiple tonguing (triple)
21:26 Range
25:19 Phrasing

A native of Austin, TX, Billy Hunter has been Principal Trumpet of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra since 2004. He enjoys a versatile career in the classical music world that includes Orchestral, Chamber, and Solo performances as well as several Educational and outreach initiatives. He is also a former member of the Grammy nominated Grant Park Orchestra in Chicago.

In addition to his yearly work with the MET, Mr. Hunter has appeared as Guest Principal Trumpet with The Philadelphia Orchestra, The Malaysian Philharmonic in Kuala Lumpur, The Frankfurt Radio Symphony in Germany, The Spoleto Festival Orchestra in Italy, the Charleston Symphony Orchestra in South Carolina and the Chineke! Orchestra in London. He has also had concerts with the New York Philharmonic, New Jersey, Dallas, and Boston symphonies throughout his professional career. He has held previous positions of Principal Trumpet, Second Trumpet, and Third Associate Trumpet with the New World, Baltimore, and Grant Park symphonies respectively.

As a chamber musician Mr. Hunter has concertized with the MET Chamber Ensemble, Prometheus Chamber Orchestra, Classical Tahoe Chamber Orchestra, Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival, Martha’s Vineyard Chamber Music Festival, Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival and recently with the Music Kitchen concert series in Lower Manhattan which features free lunchtime performances of various types of music for different homeless shelters across Manhattan.

Mr. Hunter has given masterclasses and recitals nationally and internationally with several universities and schools including Curtis, Juilliard School, University of Mary, UT Austin--Denver, James Madison, Memphis and Pittsburgh State universities, Stellenbosch University in South Africa and various venues in Tokyo, Japan. In addition to this he is a frequent coach for the New York Youth Symphony in Manhattan and the National Youth Orchestra. He is currently on faculty at NJCU and the Manhattan School of Music.

While at The University of Texas, Mr. Hunter was winner of the UT Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition, Eastern Music Festival Concerto competition in North Carolina, and the Kingsville International Solo Competition Brass Division. Since then he has gone on to solo with several different ensembles including the UT Wind ensemble, NJCU wind ensemble and Symphony, Lake Tahoe Chamber Orchestra, Prizm festival Orchestra, the New World Symphony and the Grammy nominated Serafic Fire and Firebird Chamber Orchestra. In addition to these honors, Mr. Hunter was also awarded the Roger Voisin Outstanding trumpeter prize from the Tanglewood Music Center in the Berkshires. In 2010 he was granted the University of Texas Outstanding Young Texas-Exes award, one of the highest honors granted to alumni. In addition to this he has also won 2 Grammy Awards for playing in the MET Opera performances of John Adams “Doctor Atomic” and Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle.

Mr. Hunter currently holds a Bachelor of Music in Trumpet Performance from UT Austin and a Master of Music in Trumpet Performance from The Juilliard School. His teachers were former MET Principal trumpeter NBC Radio Symphony member, Raymond Crisara, Raymond Mase of the American Brass Quintet and the NYC Ballet, and Mark Gould former Principal trumpeter of the MET Opera.