Episode #94 - Mary Elizabeth Bowden

The Other Side Of The Bell - A Trumpet Podcast

Classical Trumpeter Mary Elizabeth Bowden has built a rapidly ascendant career as a soloist, praised for her “splendid, brilliant” playing (Gramophone Magazine) and the clarity, purity, and power of her sound. A Gold Medal Global Music Award Winner, Opus Klassik Nominee, and Yamaha Performing Artist, Mary has also worked to establish a new repertoire for the trumpet through creative, collaborative commissioning projects and award-winning albums. Her upcoming season includes additional performances of the Fung concerto with the Santa Fe Symphony, Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra, Shenandoah Conservatory Orchestra, and San Diego State University Orchestra. Mexican composer Gina Enríquez Morán has been engaged to write a concerto for Mary to be premiered by the World and European Brass Association. Bowden is slated to perform Ellen Taaffe Zwilich’s American Concerto with the Las Vegas Philharmonic in 2022. She will also make her debut in Turkey with a performance of Lowell Lieberman’s concerto alongside the Izmir State Symphonic Orchestra. Bowden will also embark on a five-week tour with the Kassia Ensemble, performing a program of trumpet and string quartet arrangements featuring both core classical and contemporary works.

Mary has released two recordings on Summit Records: her debut album, Radiance (featuring new American works), and her second solo album, Rêverie with the Kassia Ensemble. Rêverie was featured as one of the Top Albums of the Year for the Global Music Awards and on Textura Magazine’s Top Ten Classical Albums of the Year.

In addition to her acclaimed performances of core classical repertoire, Mary has worked to build a new repertoire for her instrument through performances of contemporary works, as well as commissioning projects with composers such as James Stephenson, Rene Orth, Catherine McMichael, Joseph Hallman, and an upcoming recording featuring works by Reena Esmail, Tyson Davis, Vivian Fung, Sarah Kirkland Snider, and Clarice Assad.

Among her many creative projects, Mary is a founding member and artistic leader of Seraph Brass, an ensemble of America’s top female brass players that was awarded the 2019 American Prize in Chamber Music and has performed around the world. The group’s debut album, Asteria, released on Summit Records, won the Silver Medal Global Music Award, and they performed on part of Adele’s 2016 North American tour.

Mary earned her Bachelor of Music degree from The Curtis Institute of Music, and her Master of Music degree from the Yale School of Music.

Learn more about Mary Bowden: www.maryelizabethbowden.com

Learn more about Bob Reeves Brass: www.bobreeves.com