Music student profile: Ethan Bensdorf

Bienen School of Music student Ethan Bensdorf won First Prize in the 2006 Armando Ghitalla Trumpet Competition, a national competition sponsored by the Armando Ghitalla Foundation.

Bensdorf, who grew up in Evanston, was selected from among more than 100 trumpeters. He received a $7,500 cash award — one of the largest prizes available to trumpeters — and a guest appearance with the Berkshire Symphony Orchestra in Massachusetts.

At Northwestern, Bensdorf is one of 22 trumpeters who studies with Professors Barbara Butler and Charles Geyer, as well as Christopher Martin, who is principal trumpeter of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO).

Bensdorf has been a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center, performing as principal trumpeter under James Levine and was for two years a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the training orchestra for the CSO. In 2005, he was one of four students selected by Northwestern to perform at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C

Home town
Evanston, Illinois

Major
Trumpet Performance

Questions and Answers

How did you come to play the trumpet?

When I was 10 years old, I went to the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp in northern Michigan. My mother and sister (who is now a professional oboist) had attended before me. I returned for seven summers, but at first I didn't play anything. That first year, I took an instrument exploration class and tried a different instrument each day. My trumpet instructor told me I had a natural talent for it. I taught myself how to play "Tequila."

Why did you choose Northwestern?

The reputation of the teachers here is extraordinary. Northwestern students have been winning all the major orchestral jobs. Barbara Butler is my trumpet mom. She's always there for me, very nurturing and willing to help out. And her students are her main priority, which isn't the case everywhere.

What kinds of non-music courses are you taking?

I've taken a class in writing about children in the Holocaust. I went to a conservative Jewish day school for nine years, and I've always been fascinated with the subject. I'm taking another class this year on race and gender and the Holocaust.

Do you have any interesting gigs lined up?

I played recently with Sufjan Stevens, the indie rock musician from Detroit. And I'm playing next month with the Temptations in Waukegan. I've also had calls to play in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's contemporary music series.

How did the Temptations gig come about?

Their trombone player, Jeff Merriman, also went to Northwestern. He called and asked if I could play with them.

— Northwestern News

Ethan Bensdorf

Ethan Bensdorf