Gavin Clarke is currently receiving his Bachelor of Music (B.M) with an emphasis in Instrumental Music Education and his Bachelor of Music (B.M.) with an emphasis in Instrumental Music Performance and Trumpet from the University of Texas at Tyler. He plans to graduate in December of 2022 after completing his coursework and clinical teaching at Lindale ISD. At UT Tyler, Gavin is a member of the University’s Honors Program where he studies under the University’s most talented and astute professors, aids and works with younger members of the program as they navigate college, creates and develops new research in his field, and interacts with guest lecturers who exhibit expertise in countless areas of study from around the country. Gavin’s time at UT Tyler has allowed him to participate in a great number of valuable and distinctive opportunities that have focused his pursuit of musical excellence in the areas of education, performance, and music administration.

 

Gavin has performed alongside numerous performing ensembles throughout his years as a musician, giving him a diverse background in the fields of marching, sacred, classical, jazz, commercial and orchestral playing. As a young musician, Gavin performed with numerous wind ensembles and orchestras in Chattanooga, Tennessee, including the McCallie School Wind Symphony, McCallie School Symphony Orchestra, and Chattanooga Symphony and Opera Youth Orchestra, where he played co-principle and principal for all three groups. After moving to Texas in 2015, Gavin began seeking new performance opportunities and joined the Van High School Marching and Concert Bands, taking on major leadership roles such as trumpet section leader, brass section leader, and student president for the program. In 2016, he joined the Green Acres Baptist Church Celebration Orchestra, where he continues to play and volunteer today. He also joined the East Texas Youth Orchestra, where he played principal for their symphony orchestra for two years. Gavin concluded his high school career as an ATSSB 4A All-State Symphonic Band member in the 2018 Texas Music Educators Association Convention.

 

In the Fall of 2018, Gavin was accepted into the University of Texas at Tyler School of Performing Arts, where he became involved with numerous performing ensembles. Some of these included the UT Tyler Wind Symphony, Jazz Ensemble, Music Ambassadors Patriot Brass Quintet, Trumpet Ensemble, Baroque Trumpet Ensemble, and Patriot Trumpet Quintet. These ensembles gave Gavin ample opportunity to learn and perform alongside professional clinicians, play in dozens of different venues for hundreds of people, and refine and improve his trumpet playing. Gavin played in the UT Tyler Jazz Ensemble from 2018-2022, learning from and playing with the likes of Blue Lou Marini, Terell Stafford, Robin Eubanks, and Wayne Bergeron. As a member of the Jazz Ensemble, Gavin performed in the Denton Arts and Jazz Festival under the direction of Dr. Sarah Roberts. Gavin was also a member of the UT Tyler Trumpet Ensemble from 2018-2022. This ensemble performed weekly within the walls of UT Tyler, went out into the community to perform at various events, and competed in national and international competitions. In both 2019 and 2020, the UT Tyler Trumpet Ensemble, under the direction of Dr. Jeremy McBain, competed and earned placements in two prestigious small-ensemble competitions. In 2019, they placed in the International Trumpet Guild Prelude Ensemble Competition and traveled to Miami, Florida, to perform at the conference. In 2020, they placed in the Texas Music Educators Association Prelude Ensemble Competition and went on to perform in San Antonio, Texas, at the TMEA conference. In the Fall of 2020, UT Tyler announced the formation of the UT Tyler Music Ambassadors Program Brass Ensemble, or Patriot Brass Quintet, which consists of five hand-chosen brass musicians who all auditioned for positions in the ensemble. This group performed throughout East Texas to promote community outreach and the UT Tyler School of Performing Arts. This group played at 9/11 memorials, premiered brand new musical compositions, and was featured throughout UT Tyler and East Texas.

 

In the Fall of 2021, Gavin founded two groups as extensions of the UT Tyler Trumpet Studio. The first of which was the Patriot Trumpet Guild. The Patriot Trumpet Guild was founded with the goal of providing students within the trumpet studio opportunities to further their academic, communal, and musical ambitions. Because of his primary role in the creation of this organization, Gavin was selected to be its President and helped appoint those members who actively help in its management. Alongside the Patriot Trumpet Guild, Gavin took on the responsibility of creating the Patriot Trumpet Quintet, which would go on to compete at the National Trumpet Competition. Gavin successfully led this group to record and create a video submission which would be presented to a panel of judges as a part of the preliminary round of the competition. The ensemble was selected to compete in the live-quarterfinal round taking place at the University of Delaware in the Spring of 2022, making this the first ensemble in UT Tyler’s history to compete in a national competition. Gavin continued to schedule and direct rehearsals leading into the competition, where the group competed against forty of the best collegiate trumpet ensembles in the country.

 

After completing the majority of his coursework in his first three years of college, Gavin began taking his trumpet playing to the next level. Aside from leading the Patriot Trumpet Quintet to placing in the National Trumpet Competition, Gavin was a part of eight other performing ensembles as well, where he held leadership or principal positions. In 2021, Gavin was asked to be a featured soloist for two of the University of Texas at Tyler’s premier performing ensembles during their final spring concerts. Under the direction of Dr. Sarah Roberts, Gavin performed the chart, “Lifelong Friends” on flugelhorn by Kris Berg in front of the UT Tyler Jazz Ensemble. Gavin was also featured in front of the UT Tyler Wind Symphony, under the direction of Felix Torres, playing Stephen Gryc’s Evensong for Trumpet and Wind Ensemble. Gavin’s pursuit of musical excellence and unique performance opportunities is what drove him to be asked to perform with so many different ensembles at such a high level.

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While attending UT Tyler, Gavin performed with a multitude of ensembles outside of his university, including the Tyler Junior College Apache Marching Band for their 2018 season. During his time with TJC, he performed at weekend football games, exhibitions, and at the UIL Open Class State Marching Band Championships in San Antonio, Texas. In the Spring and Summers of 2019, Gavin rejoined the East Texas Youth Orchestra as their principal trumpet player for their international tour to Vienna, Austria, for the Summa Cum Laude Summer Music Festival. There, ETYO shared the stage with hundreds of different orchestras, choirs, and bands from around the world. In the Fall of 2019, Gavin auditioned for and was invited to join the Mesquite Symphony Orchestra. The Mesquite Symphony Orchestra is a civic orchestra created to serve Mesquite and its surrounding areas. Under the baton of Maestro Felix Torres, MSO performs a nine month music season cycle which contains six major performances. He currently holds the second trumpet position for this organization and is beginning his fourth season with the symphony. The most recent ensemble Gavin has joined is the Al Fine Little Big Band where he plays solo chair. This group has outreached and performed in and throughout East Texas for over twenty years, specializing in sacred, jazz arrangements. With the extensive resume of performing ensembles under his belt, Gavin brings many different perspectives of trumpet performance to his own playing style and teaching.

 

Gavin’s love for music does not stop at performing, he also teaches trumpet and brass around the East Texas area. He began teaching in the Summer of 2019, working with Van High School’s trumpet studio and marching band in preparation for their following UIL season. Immediately after his time with Van, Gavin began working at Arp ISD  as a brass and marching band technician for the Arp High School Marching Band. Gavin taught music sectionals, brass ensemble sectionals, marching band basics, and private lessons with many of the students at AHS. While Gavin was at Arp, the band program earned superior ratings overall in UIL Region Marching Competition, advancement and placement in UIL Open Class Area Marching Competition, UIL Sweepstakes overall, and had several students make successful placements in various ATSSB and UIL competitions.

 

After an accomplished year with the Arp High School Band, Gavin took a position as a brass and marching band technician at Whitehouse ISD. There, he worked with their staff developing the musicianship of their trumpet studio, brass ensembles, marching band and concert band. While there, the band program earned superior ratings overall in UIL Region Marching Competition, advancement and placement in UIL State Military Marching Competition, UIL Sweepstakes overall, and had several students make successful placements in various TMEA and UIL competitions. On top of the teaching Gavin does in high schools around the area, he also has a private studio of his own, based out of Tyler and the surrounding areas. His current studio has four students and continues to grow every day.

 

After finishing his degrees at the University of Texas at Tyler, Gavin plans to pursue a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration starting in the Fall of 2023. Once Gavin completes the entirety of his education, he plans to teach band at the junior and senior high school levels while performing in all capacities, staying close to his classical and sacred roots.