When Josh Shpak was nine years old he picked up a trumpet for the first time, and by the time he was in the seventh grade, he knew there was nothing he would rather do with his life than play music.
Shpak, an accomplished trumpeter, composer and bandleader, will be competing in the 2017 Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Solo Competition Sept. 23 at the Haddock Performance Hall in the Lionel Hampton School of Music. The competition is free and open to the public.
Originally from California, Shpak said he graduated from Berklee College of Music in 2016 with a double major in trumpet performance and film scoring and placed second in the last Caruso Competition, which took place at Sam Houston State University in 2015. Shpak said he is less concerned with how he scores in the competition and more focused on performing to the best of his ability and demonstrating the fullest expression of his playing.
Shpak said he is passionate about music’s ability to bridge gaps between individuals and form bonds.
“I have been around the world — even just to the other side of town — and found myself completely and utterly out of place ethnically, culturally and linguistically, but as soon as people start playing music, all of that awkwardness can be thrown aside,” he said. “I don’t know of any other human creation that can do that.”
Shpak will compete against four other finalists from around the world on Saturday: Bruno Calvo, Justin Copeland, Tony Glausi and David Neves. Guest artists Dominick Farinacci, Pat Harbison and Marcus Printup will judge the competition.
“I am definitely nervous!” Shpak said. “I know a couple of the guys competing and they are killer players.”
The competition will make for a busy day, beginning with a masterclass at 9 a.m., said Sean Butterfield, UI professor of trumpet. Butterfield said the masterclass will be run by guest artist Pat Harbison, professor of jazz studies at Indiana University since 1997. Butterfield said each finalist is allotted a 30-minute time slot Saturday, and the actual competition begins with the first finalist performing at 10:30 a.m.
Each finalist will perform four tunes with the competition trio — drums, bass and piano — from Seattle, having only practiced with the trio for an hour and a half the day before, he said. Butterfield said one of the required tunes is a new composition written by Vern Sielert, director of jazz studies at UI.“That’s when the fun begins,” Butterfield said. “These players are the literal best of their age group.”
At 7:30 p.m., after each finalist has performed, there will be a concert featuring the three guest adjudicators, each finalist, the competition trio and the Palouse All-Star Big Band, Butterfield said.
Before the final tune, Brian Evans, president of the International Trumpet Guild, will announce the winner of the competition. The grand prize is $15,000, runner up $10,000 and third place $5,000.
“Nobody should feel intimidated about (the concert),” Butterfield said. “It’s meant to be very involved and exciting.”
Shpak said one of his favorite aspects of the music world is that the community is so big while also being so far-reaching. He said the most memorable thing from the last Caruso Competition was having great relationships with the other contestants and the judges.
“I love people,” he said. “I also love meeting people who do the thing I do, and I’m really looking forward to this competition for that.”
Jordan Willson can be reached at [email protected]