Aric Brian, Trumpet Instructor
A native of Wisconsin, Aric Brian is a freelance trumpet player and educator currently living in
Tampa, Florida. He regularly performs with The Florida Orchestra, Opera Tampa, and The
Tampa Brass, and has also worked with The Orlando Ballet, The Minnesota Orchestra, The
Patrick Williams Big Band, Chuck Owen’s Jazz Surge, Maine State Music Theatre, and Holland
America Cruise Lines. In 2000, Aric was selected as the principal trumpet player for the
MidAmerica National Festival Orchestra at Carnegie Hall under the direction of Lukas Foss. Aric
also performs regularly in the jazz and popular realms, having played with popular artists
including Burt Bacharach, the Supremes, Doc Severinsen, Patti Austin, Chris Botti, and Jon
Secada. Internationally, Aric has performed at the Montreux (Switzerland), Vienne (France), and
North Sea (Netherlands) jazz festivals, as well as at the Portoheli International Music Festival
(Greece).
As an educator, Aric is currently an adjunct faculty member at The University of South Florida,
The University of Tampa, St. Petersburg College, Southeastern University, Florida College, Blake
High School for the Performing Arts, and maintains a large private studio in Tampa. He was a
contributing author of the interactive text Jazz Music, The Great American Art Form published by
Faulkner Press in 2005, and has been a preliminary judge for the 2008 and 2006 International
Trumpet Guild Solo Performance and Jazz Improvisation scholarship competitions.
Aric received his Master's Degree in Trumpet Performance from the University of South Florida,
and a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire,
graduating summa cum laude from both. He was also selected to spend two summers studying
at the Henry Mancini Institute in Los Angeles, CA. His principal teachers are Robert Baca, Jay
Coble, Charley Davis and Bill Adam.