The Festival of New Trumpet Music, or FONT (fontmusic.org), is a non-profit organization based in New York City. It first began in 2003 as a nearly three-week-long festival of music at the venue Tonic (tonicnyc.com), which hosts modern, avant-garde and experimental acts. In the following year, the festival expanded to other local venues, and in 2006, it began commissioning pieces by composers and trumpet players, specifically for the festival. In 2010, it put on a satellite festival in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Currently it extends over a period of three-to-five days, and features keynote speakers, workshops, performances and clinics.
The Atlanta Trumpet Festival (atlantatrumpetfestival.com) first began in 2004 and is designed to reach out to trumpet players of all levels, from beginners to professionals. The festival takes place at Emory University; an audition is not required to participate or play. The principle behind the festival is that each person should arrive with his or her instrument and a notebook, because it is meant to be a weekend of playing and learning. The artists and clinicians who perform and teach vary annually, but many of them are from Georgia or the surrounding area. The festival extends over the course of a weekend and includes master classes and ensemble rehearsals, eventually culminating in a recital. A fee is required to participate, but all attendees are encouraged to bring their horns and play along, regardless of skill level.
The Midwest Trumpet Festival (pittstate.edu/department/music/midwest-trumpet-festival.dot) takes place annually at Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas, on the second Sunday of October. It features master classes, rehearsals and performances, and brings in trumpet instructors from throughout the surrounding area to teach and conduct. In 2010, the festival featured recording artist John Sneider and New York Metropolitan Opera principal trumpet player Billy Hunter Jr. as guest performers. Unlike festivals that are geared toward people from all over, the Midwest Trumpet Festival concentrates almost exclusively on trumpet players and teachers from the Midwest region, in an effort to strengthen the ties of the community.
The Guca Trumpet Festival (gucasabor.com) is a trumpet festival that takes place in Serbia. It has been in existence since 1961 and lasts for 10 days, making it the largest trumpet festival in the world. The village where the festival takes place, Guca, features a large statue of a man playing trumpet. The statue is testament to the role trumpets play in the life of the Serbian people; trumpets have long been the means by which the Serbians pass on their musical histories. Unlike other trumpet festivals which feature classes for players across all skill levels, the Guca Trumpet Festival is a competition. More than 100 orchestras compete against each another, with one emerging as the winner. Each year, the best trumpet player is awarded with the title of First Trumpet of Serbia.