“SOUND-PIECE, my sonata for trumpet, flugelhorn, piccolo trumpet, and piano, contains a movement for each of these three brass instruments. Benjamin Hay is a rare brass player who is a virtuoso on all three instruments and readily meets the demands of this work. He is an excellent performer of contemporary music; is detailed in its interpretation; and works extensively to express exactly what the composer wants. I highly recommend Mr. Hay as a musician who knows his subject, and is a definite asset to the music of our day.”
“Ben Hay did a superb job...”
Benjamin Hay is a trumpeter and educator based in Northeastern Oklahoma. Ben holds degrees from Oklahoma State University (B.M. Performance), the University of New Mexico (M.M. Performance), and the University of Oklahoma (D.M.A. Performance). He currently serves as Assistant Professor of Music (Trumpet/Theory) at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, OK. Prior to his appointment at NSU, Dr. Hay served as Adjunct Instructor of Music at Tulsa Community College, where he taught applied trumpet, applied horn, music theory, jazz improvisation, jazz combo, and chamber brass.
Ben performs as principal trumpet of Bartlesville Symphony Orchestra and Tulsa’s Starlight Concert Band, as well as acting principal of Tulsa’s Signature Symphony. He frequently performs with the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas and the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra. Additional performances include appearances with Tulsa Opera, Tulsa Ballet, Tulsa Oratorio Chorus, Gateway Chamber Orchestra (Clarksville, TN), Frontier Brass Band of Oklahoma, Arkansas Musicworks Brass Band, and the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra. A frequent recitalist, Dr. Hay has performed guest solo recitals in Oklahoma, New Mexico, Kansas, Arkansas, Texas, and Illinois. In 2018, Dr. Hay performed at the International Trumpet Guild Regional Conference in Oklahoma City, as well as at the ITG Conference in San Antonio, TX. Ben has performed as a soloist with the Signature Symphony, the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas, Tulsa’s Starlight Band, as well as numerous high school and college ensembles. An avid chamber musician, he has performed with Tulsa Camerata, the faculty brass quintets of the University of New Mexico and Northeastern State University, and the brass quintets of Symphony of Northwest Arkansas and Tulsa Symphony. He is currently a member of several chamber brass groups including Zen Brass and Altus Trumpet Ensemble. As a jazz and commercial musician, Ben has performed with Tulsa’s Signature Symphony Big Band, Tulsa’s Starlight Big Band, King Cabbage Brass Band, as well as numerous local Broadway-style pit orchestras and rock bands. Dr. Hay has had the privilege of sharing the stage with a wide range of the world’s top performers such as JoAnn Falletta, Benjamin Zander, Eric Whitacre, Michael Daugherty, the Irish Tenors, Bernadette Peters, The Four Tops, Hanson, Mannheim Steamroller, Rickey Minor, and Johnny Mathis.
Ben’s primary trumpet teachers have been Andrew Cheetham, Jacob Walburn, Thomas Booth, John Marchiando, and Karl Sievers. Additionally, Ben has studied composition and arranging with Marvin Lamb, and horn performance with Eldon Matlick. Dr. Hay serves a music reviewer and conference reporter for the ITG Journal, and is a member of the International Trumpet Guild, Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, and the American Federation of Musicians (Local 94).
Benjamin Hay is a Conn-Selmer/Vincent Bach Endorsing Artist.
