Born in McCordsville, IN, Susan Slaughter started playing trumpet at the age of 10. Graduating from Indiana University with a coveted performer's certificate, Susan auditioned for and won the Principal Trumpet position in 1967 with the Toledo, Ohio Symphony.
Susan then joined the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra in l969 and four years later became the first woman ever to be named Principal Trumpet of a major symphony orchestra.
In 1992, Susan founded the International Women's Brass Conference, an organization dedicated to provide opportunities and recognition for women brass musicians. As a fund-raising effort to support the International Women's Brass Conference, Ms. Slaughter organized and produced the very popular Holiday Brass Concerts, which are now in their second decade, and are performed each December in the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis. Other cities in the United States are holding their own Holiday Brass Concerts to help support the ever-growing International Women's Brass Conference.
In 1996, Ms. Slaughter founded Monarch Brass, an all women's brass ensemble, which has toured in the United States and Europe to critical acclaim.
Susan appears regularly in area recitals and religious programs, and has been a frequent soloist with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, as well as with several other ensembles throughout the country. Her work is represented on a number of Saint Louis Symphony releases, including the highly acclaimed recordings of Mahler's Symphony No. 2, Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5, Gershwin's Piano Concerto in F, Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, Barber's Capricorn Concerto, and most recently, John Adams' Doctor Atomic. Many of these and other recordings have been nominated for or won Grammy Awards. Susan has performed with Wynton Marsalis, Kathleen Battle, Christine Brewer, Doc Severinsen, Al Hirt in duets, amongst others.
She has served on the faculty of the Grand Teton Orchestra Seminar and the National Orchestra Institute, and has been lecture/recitalist at the International Trumpet Guild, while also serving on its board of directors.
Since the 1980's, Susan has performed the National Anthem and "God Bless America" on an annual basis for the St. Louis Cardinals Baseball Club and, at the invitation of the Baseball Commissioner Fay Vincent, performed the National Anthem at Game 3 of the 1991 World Series, played in Atlanta between the Braves and Twins (link).
Some of the awards and recognition Susan has received over the years include nomination by Ladies Home Journal for its annual Woman of the Year award, a special Leadership Award in the Arts from the Young Women's Christian Association, the American Federation of Musicians, Local 2-197 Owen Miller Award for loyalty, dedication and fairness in actions and deeds, and the 2007 Arts and Education Council Award for Excellence in the Arts.
Susan has studied over the years with Herbert Mueller, Bernard Adelstein, Arnold Jacobs, Robert Nagel, Claude Gordon and Laurie Frink, and retired as Principal Trumpet from the Saint Louis Symphony on September 1, 2010.
Podcast listeners! Enter code "podcast" at checkout for 15% off any of our Gard bags! Visit trumpetmouthpiece.com for more info.
Episode Links:
