Mike Gurfield enjoys a varied and active freelance career.  Having recently served as Guest Associate Principal Trumpet of the Orquestra Sinfonica Sinaloa de las Artes in Culiacan, Mexico, the California native returned to New York City where in addition to performances on Broadway including “South Pacific”, and “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown”,  Mike has become an active member of New York’s vibrant contemporary music scene.  Mike serves as Principal Trumpet of Signal Ensemble, as well as guest Principal Trumpet with Alarm Will Sound, and as Principal Trumpet of the Ensemble de Sade. Mike is the Co-Founder, Artistic Director, and member of the 7-piece Deviant Septet, dedicated to performing and commissioning new works for their unique ensemble.  Mike’s new music brass ensemble, the Brooklyn Brass Quintet tours internationally, and is hard at work on their newest CD release. 

    An avid fan of indie-rock and alt-classical music, Mike has played, recorded, and toured with such artists as David Byrne, Tyondai Braxton, Rachel Lipson, Tall Tall Trees, and many others.  Additionally, Mike has held many orchestral posts including Guest Principal Trumpet of the Harrisburg Symphony, Principal Trumpet of the Rochester Oratorio Society, Principal Trumpet Fellow of the Banff Centre for the Arts Chamber and Opera Orchestra, Principal Trumpet of the Synchrony Chamber Orchestra, as well as Second Trumpet of the Knights Chamber Orchestra, New York Symphonic Ensemble, and Camerata Notturna.  Mike's brass ensemble was featured in the PBS  documentary “Artscape”. 

      In addition to appearing as the featured soloist with the Banff Centre Chamber Orchestra, Mike has appeared as First Cornet with the Eastman Wind Ensemble on two tours and two recordings, and was heard on several NPR broadcasts commemorating the Eastman Wind Ensemble’s 50th Anniversary Season. 

    For the past 2 years, Mike has held the position as head of the brass department at the Greenwich Music House in New York's Greenwich Village, as well as maintaining a private music studio in New York City. An active clinician, Mike has taught masterclasses in 3 countries, and at numerous colleges and universities such as the Eastman School of Music, Western Michigan University, Nazareth College, NYU, Duke University, The Banff Centre for the Arts in Alberta, Canada, and Mexico's UAS.

        Mike has been heard in live radio broadcast performances on Radio Bremen (Bremen, Germany), KUSC and KKGO FM (Los Angeles, CA), WXXI (Rochester, NY), and nationally on NPR, and has been heard at some of the best concert halls in the world, including Carnegie Hall's Stern Auditorium and Zenkel Recital Hall, Lincoln Center's Alice Tully, and Avery Fisher Halls, and Vivan Beaumont Theater, London's Barbican, The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, Troy New York's EMPAC, as well as Columbia University's Miller Theater, and NYC experimental art spaces like Le Poisson Rouge, The Kitchen, and Galapagos Art Space.  Mike can be heard on recordings from labels like Sony Classical, Warner Brothers, Warp Records, Naxos America, New Amsterdam Records, Mode Records, Domino Records, and many more.  Holding Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in performance from the Eastman School of Music, Mike's principal teachers include James Thompson (Eastman School of Music), Mark Gould (Metropolitan Opera Orchestra), Robert Earley (Philadelphia Orchestra), Vincent Penzarella (New York Philharmonic), Boyde Hood (Los Angeles Philharmonic), and Paul Salvo (Los Angeles Studio Musician).

 

 

Mike Gurfield performs exclusively on Yamaha Trumpets.