When asked why he decided to pursue music in college, trumpet player Jeff Ostroski said, “I just love performing, and you [have to] do what you love.” Soon he will have a new, bigger venue with which to share that love of performing.
Ostroski, a junior trumpet performance major with jazz emphasis, was recently selected to be lead trumpet in the upcoming 2005 Midwest Regional Conference Intercollegiate Jazz Ensemble, to be held April 15 and 16 at Columbia College in Chicago. Participants have been selected from colleges in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Kentucky, and are the cream of the crop from their respective schools. The ensemble is selected based off of nominations from college and university jazz directors in the region. Ostroski’s recommendation comes from professor of music Fred Sturm.
Ostroski has been playing trumpet since he was 10 years old, and jazz since he was 12. He cites his high school jazz director as an influence on his decision to pursue his interest in jazz. As a high school freshman, Ostroski participated in a competition at Lincoln Center with his high school ensemble, and was also a member of the Connecticut All-State Jazz Ensemble.
When it came time for college, he chose to attend Lawrence, over other competitive music conservatories on the East Coast, for its strong jazz program and because he had already met professors John Daniel and Fred Sturm.
The Guilford, Conn., native looks forward to meeting other collegiate jazz students from Columbia, Indiana University, and the UW system at April’s conference.
Ostroski selected for Midwest ensemble
