Jazz trumpeter receives international soloist award

solo-winnerPULLMAN, Wash. – Washington State University trumpeter Brian Ploeger won an international Graduate College Soloist Award from the jazz journal DownBeat magazine. He is a graduate teaching assistant and master’s candidate in the School of Music.

“Brian is a thrilling, national-level jazz trumpeter with an original, improvisational style,” said Greg Yasinitsky, director of the school and of the WSU Jazz Big Band in which Ploeger performs as a featured soloist.

Ploeger said came to WSU to prepare to teach others: “I love performing a variety of styles on the trumpet, so my goal is to find a teaching job in a scene where I can play with great players.”

He said winning an international DownBeat award validates his path through jazz, but also draws attention to the jazz program in small-town Washington.

Yasinitsky agreed: “Awards like this bring wider recognition to our outstanding School of Music, enhancing the reputation of the school, the College of Arts and Sciences and WSU.”