Glen Whitehead

Glen Whitehead, D.M.A.

Glen Whitehead is an internationally recognized award-winning trumpet artist and composer. Among a variety of artistic endeavors his main body of work explores improvisational phenomena, interactive communication and environmental collaboration between living cultures, technologies and the natural world, often contextualizing instrumental and vocal music as immersive soundscapes, sonic theatre, installation, environmental exploration and cultural discourse in order to build new interdisciplinary investigations across the arts and sciences. His upcoming double CD on Neuma Records will feature ecacoustic compositions from around the world from projects the last several years lifting off from his article in the Journal of Critical Studies in Improvisation, “Take it Outside People: Bridging Ecoacoustics and Improvised Music.”

Whitehead’s background includes international appearances as a soloist, clinician and touring artis in improvisation & electro acoustic groups, commissions with the world’s finest composers, principal trumpet in professional orchestras, brass quintets, jazz ensembles, installations, film scores, working extensively with professional theatre and dance and developing interdisciplinary projects across the arts and sciences. Tours and residencies internationally including as a soloist with the EcoSono Ensemble (where he is Director of Performance for the EcoSono Institute), New Zealand Maori group WAI and the Bottesini Project. These include performances and residencies across the U.S, Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, Korea, and a European solo tour in 2019 that included England, France, Ireland and Switzerland. He was a visiting artist at institutions such as University of California, San Diego, Virginia Tech, University of Virginia, University of Limerick, University of Washington, University of Cork, Huddersfield University, University of Brisbane, Sydney Conservatory, Columbia University, and more. In 2019 he an artist in residence at the UCROSS Foundation in Wyoming.

Film scores include Stitching Rites (Now and Then Productions, 2021). He has commissioned major new solo works for trumpet, ensemble and orchestra including the Ecoacoustic Concerto for two trumpets, sonic environment and ensemble by Matthew Burtner (2015) with Grammy Award winner, trumpeter Cuong Vu, Hennessy Concerto for trumpet and orchestra by Film composer Sean Hennessy (2013) and Lonnie and Lonie double concerto with trumpet, piano and orchestra by Dr. George Lewis (2019).

Other collaborations include UCCS Theatre Works (Heisenberg), the Ormao Dance Company in an installation Sanctuary of Moments at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center (2014), Resistance and Rebellion (2014) with folk artist Tim Eriksen (winner of a Peak Arts award), Boundless Breath (2013). He was Artist in Residence at the 2014 Sonic Landscapes Festival at CSU Fullerton with Matthew Burtner working with composer Eve Baglarian, the Guidian Hand Trombone Quartet, and collaborated with Pandit Sanjoy Bandopadhyay of Kolkata, India (2013).

His work is critically acclaimed; His recording, “the Living Daylights”(2018) on pfMENTUM received rave reviews and remained on the top 10 of radio playlists across the U.S. for over a year. Psychoangelo’s release panauromni was listed on the top ten cd’s of the year by Chicago Time Out.  He recorded two cd’s with O’Keefe / Stanyek / Walton / Whitehead –“Tunnel” and “Unbalancing Acts” on Circumvention and 9Winds Records, performed solo trumpet on “Tania”- an opera by Anthony Davis on Kotch Int. (2000), and was principal trumpet on the soundtrack to the ground-breaking video game Everquest (1999).

Past appearances include REDCAT in Los Angeles, the CSUF New Music Festival, BONK Festival, European performances at Bimhuis and Zaal 100 in Amsterdam, Holland, was a headliner with Psychoangelo at the Innova Festival in NYC at the Stone, the EcoSono Institute in Alaska, the SOUNDscape Ensemble, the IMPS Festival in Seattle, the ISIM Cross Cultural Improvisation Festival at Roulette and a featured artist at Columbia University with Yarn / Wire. He has performed with such artists as Grammy Award winner Cuong Vu, Pauline Oliveros, Scott Amendola, Kent Maclagan, George Lewis, Keith Rowe, Nels Cline, Vinny Golia, Wadada Leo Smith, Mary Oliver, Nicolas Collins, Ofer Ben-Amots and Anthony Davis.

Previously, Whitehead held the Principal Trumpet position in the Chamber Orchestra of the Springs, the Orquesta Sinfónica UANL de Monterrey, Mexico and the La Jolla Symphony Orchestra.  As an educator, he won the Innovations in Teaching with Technology award at UCCS and the Big Idea Award (with the Ormao Dance Co) from the Pikes Peak Arts Council. He is the Artistic Director of the Peak FreQuency Creative Arts, Director of Performance of the EcoSono institute (with Dr. Matthew Burtner) and was Principal Trumpet in the Chamber Orchestra of the Springs (2010 – 2020).

In 2006, He founded the interdisciplinary Music Program at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs where he is currently a Professor of Music, Chair of the Department of Visual and Performing Arts, and a Co-Director of the Bachelor of Innovation™ degree. He created the new BA in Music (2022), as well as Creative Music Performance & Technology, Composition & Sound Design Bachelor’s degree tracks in the VAPA BA (2006). He is a Bach trumpet artist for Selmer / Conn and received his Bmus in Performance at the New England Conservatory of Music, and M.A. and D.M.A from the University of California, San Diego. His teachers include Timothy Morrison, George Lewis, Edwin Harkins and Anthony Davis.

TEACHING

Currently, at UCCS Dr. Whitehead teaches the University Orchestra (Symphony 21), Sound Art, Electro Acoustic ensemble, Creative Music Ensemble, Sonic Landscapes, Music Capstone, and private instruction in Trumpet and Composition