Phil Snedecor

Phil Snedecor, the arranger for the Washington Symphonic Brass, is also the co-founder, manager, and trumpet player for this professional ensemble. Phil attended the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, where he received the prestigious Performers Certificate. While earning his degrees in trumpet performance and literature, he also studied arranging and composition with Professor Rayburn Wright, formerly arranger for Radio City Music Hall.

As an orchestral trumpeter, Mr. Snedecor has toured with both the National Symphony and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestras, and he often performs with the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra. As a musical show player, he has performed in the touring productions of Cabaret, Guys & Dolls, Phantom of the Opera, Beauty and the Beast, Peter Pan, and Evita. He has recorded for the RCA, CBS, Gothic, and Koss labels, and he can be heard most recently on a recording entitled “The Lyrical Trumpet” with organist Paul Skevington on the Summit Label.

Phil has held acting one year trumpet positions with both the Baltimore Symphony and the National Symphony and has maintained his positions as Principal Trumpet in the Harrisburg (PA) Symphony Orchestra and Co-Principal Trumpet in the Alexandria (VA) Symphony. As a trumpet teacher, Mr. Snedecor is on the faculty of Towson University. In addition to his trumpet teaching and performing activities, he writes and arranges regularly for many brass groups. Many of his brass ensemble arrangements are handled by Portland Sheet Music Services in Portland, Oregon. He has written a series of brass etude books, which are required studies at many college and university music schools. They are available from Robert King Music.