"Eric Berlin has all the elements people expect from a good trumpeter - boldness, big sound, impressive technique - as well as the things that make a complete musician: tonal variety, ability and willingness to blend, and expressiveness." These defining qualities of his playing were summed up in the American Record Guide review of Mr. Berlin's first solo recording, "End of the Matter: Premieres for Trumpet" (MSR Classics).
Mr. Berlin's acclaimed solo performances have not only encompassed the traditional trumpet repertoire but also have augmented the range of possibilities for the trumpet as a solo instrument. He has commissioned original works from some of today's most exciting composers, including Stephen Paulus, Eric Ewazen, James Stephenson III, Salvatore Macchia, Charles Bestor, Evan Hause, Robert Bradshaw and Michael Ellison and many are featured on his first solo recording.
Mr. Berlin has been featured with many ensembles, including the Hartford Symphony Orchestra in Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 1, after which Jeffrey Johnson of the Hartford Courant wrote, "Berlin brought the trumpet solo into focus with great skill and a sweet sound." Mr. Berlin performed as soloist with John Williams conducting his own music from "Born on the Fourth of July," as well as with the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra, the Helsinki University Orchestra, the U.S. Coast Guard Band, the Pioneer Valley Symphony Orchestra, and the wind ensembles of the University of Massachusetts and the University of Denver.
Mr. Berlin has been Principal Trumpet of the Albany Symphony Orchestra since 1998 and can be heard with that ensemble on more than a dozen acclaimed recordings that include works by William Schuman, John Harbison, Morton Gould, and Roy Harris to name a few. He holds the same position with the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and is a member of the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, another ensemble with which he has made significant recordings of works by Lukas Foss, Eric Chasalow, Charles Fussell, and Evan Ziporyn. In addition to his regular positions, he has performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic, as well as the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops.
Mr. Berlin enjoys international regard as a trumpet pedagogue. He maintains a studio as Artist-Teacher of Trumpet at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where he hosted the 2007 International Trumpet Guild Conference. He has given master classes at the University of North Texas, Virginia Commonwealth University, Northeastern University, the Longy School of Music, and University of New Hampshire, as well as the Turku Conservatory in Turku and the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland.
A native of Pennsylvania, Mr. Berlin attended the New England Conservatory of Music, where he was a student of Mr. Charles Schlueter, Principal Trumpet of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Robert Nagel of the New York Brass Quintet. He has also studied extensively with Vince Penzerella of the New York Philharmonic, Tom Rolfs of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and Frank Kadarabek, former Principal Trumpet of the Philadelphia Orchestra.
While not performing and teaching, Eric can be found working hard to maintain his single digit handicap in golf. Eric Berlin is a Yamaha Performing Artist.
Page last modified May 25, 2012
