Steven Felix

Dr. Steven Felix currently serves as Visiting Lecturer of Trumpet at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, his alma mater, and as Lecturer of Trumpet at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.

An active soloist, Dr. Felix has earned recognition at both national and international levels. He won first place in the Graduate Solo Division of the 2015 National Trumpet Competition with Anthony Plog’s Concerto No. 2 for Trumpet and Orchestra, and in 2011 earned second place in the Undergraduate Solo Division with John Stevens’ Sonata for Trumpet and Piano. He has performed with ensembles such as the Rhode Island Philharmonic, the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, the Berkshire Symphony, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, Symphoria (now the Syracuse Orchestra), and the Albany Symphony Orchestra (NY). His chamber group, Flower City Brass, was named the 2021 fellowship quintet at the American Brass Quintet Seminar at the Aspen Music Festival and School.

As an educator, Dr. Felix has guided collegiate chamber ensembles to compete at both the National Trumpet Competition and the International Trumpet Guild (ITG) competitions. He maintains a private studio in Massachusetts, where his students have regularly earned all-district and all-state honors, and has led guest masterclasses in trumpet and chamber music at institutions including the University of Rhode Island, the University of Massachusetts, and Methodist University. In 2016, he co-coordinated and co-hosted a regional trumpet festival at the Eastman School of Music, featuring artists such as Mark Gould, Brian Shaw, Bob Malone, and Wayne Tanabe.

Dr. Felix is also active in service to the profession. He has served as a judge for the ITG’s solo competitions and is a reviewer for the International Trumpet Guild Journal, contributing reviews of new trumpet repertoire and pedagogical resources to help advance the field.

His primary teachers include Paul Sundberg (Williams College), Eric Berlin (University of Massachusetts Amherst), and James Thompson (Eastman School of Music). Away from music, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Courtney, and their two extraordinary orange cats, Mimi and Toulouse.