Charles Lazarus
Trumpet
Trumpeter Charles Lazarus is a member of the Minnesota Orchestra and a multi-faceted musician who has charted a unique course as performer, composer, producer and band leader. His career has included tenures in several of the best-known brass ensembles in the world, including Dallas Brass, Meridian Arts Ensemble and Canadian Brass.
As a soloist, composer and bandleader, Lazarus has created four original crossover orchestral programs featuring his various ensembles: “A Night in the Tropics,” “American Riffs,” “Fly Me to the Moon” and most recently “The New American Songbook” featuring the Grammy Award-winning family vocal quintet The Steeles. On “Merry & Bright,” his annual program of fresh takes on holiday favorites, Lazarus is joined by vocalists, a children’s choir and an all-brass big band.
His live recording of Steve Heitzeg’s American Nomad concerto with the Minnesota Orchestra under Osmo Vänskä and a children’s animated short film featuring his composition A Perfect Square paired with Michael Hall’s book of the same name are examples of his many collaborations.
Lazarus made his Carnegie Hall solo debut with the New York String Orchestra at 19 while still a student at the Juilliard School in New York. Since then, he has soloed with dozens of orchestras and ensembles throughout North America. In demand as a clinician and teacher, he is a clinician and performer for Minnesota Public Radio’s Class Notes program and serves on the adjunct faculty for the University of Minnesota. He has performed and taught master classes in every U.S. state, Canada, Brazil, Cuba, South Africa, and throughout Asia and Europe.
In addition to his tenure in several well-known brass ensembles, he has performed with Empire Brass, London Brass and the New York Philharmonic Principal Brass. Rounding out this eclectic experience, he has also performed his original compositions at the Montreal and Ottawa international jazz festivals, opened for Tony Bennett, and performed with Barry White and Joe Williams. Lazarus's six solo recordings: Solo Settings, Zabava, Merry & Bright, Lovejoy, Merrier & Brighter and The Modern Hymn Project showcase his wide-ranging talent and feature collaborations with diverse composers, arrangers and performers.
More information: charleslazarus.com