Check Out Emma Breen’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Emma Breen.

Hi Emma, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself. 
My parents were both musicians, so from day one, I was doomed. I picked up trumpet at age ten, as that was when band started in my Central Illinois public school. People talk about soulmates as people, but truly, I found my soulmate in the trumpet. Through private lessons and a fierce appetite to get better, I started competing on the regional, state, and national level. The time during my undergraduate education at Northwestern University put that love for my “soulmate” to the test, and it only came out stronger. 

I moved to L.A. to start my graduate degree at UCL.A. in September of 2021. I got on the plane at the Central Illinois Regional Airport with one backpack, two suitcases, and my trumpets. I lived in graduate housing in Culver City, sleeping on a twin-sized air mattress and eating on the floor since I had no furniture. To get to school each day, I would take the bus and then walk from the transportation hub to the school, but it felt like I was living the dream. Here I was in L.A., making it happen on my own. If you leaned dangerously far off my first-floor balcony, you could see the corner of Sony Studios in Culver City. I remember crying tears of joy putting together my first piece of furniture (a $14.99 side table from IKEA). 

Since moving to Los Angeles, there has been this incredible stride I have hit, thanks to the people I have met. From my amazing professors at UCL.A., my life-support system of graduate students, and to my stunning (in every sense on the word) fiancée. During the second year of my graduate degree, I auditioned for the American Youth Symphony (AYS), and in January of 2023, I was notified I had won the position of principal trumpet. I was the first woman in the 60-plus-year history of the orchestra to win the principal trumpet position. AYS has opened a whole new world of opportunities for me through the amazing artists and management of that orchestra. I am so endlessly grateful for loved ones that push me to try new things, listen to new music, eat new food, and fully experience this beautiful city. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road to art is never really smooth, and while I have faced my struggles, I have also had a lot of amazing mentors and supportive people in my life. To this day (and I truly mean as soon as last week), people still tell me that the trumpet is a “man’s” instrument or that they won’t hire women who play the trumpet. The road is getting smoother, but holy shit, is there still a long way to go for women who play the trumpet and work in the music industry. We are not just looking at representation but equitable opportunities, institutions that teach a diverse curriculum, rehearsal, and recording spaces that are equally respectful to female artists, and – for the love of god – music literature that doesn’t use exclusively male pronouns when referring to this instrument. 

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Music is my passion, and I have devoted a great deal of my life to mastering trumpet. I believe in beautiful playing and couldn’t imagine a more impactful career path than that of performing. I am passionate about accessibility in the performing arts and diversifying my chosen field of performance. I fell in love with the trumpet through orchestra, and I am so grateful to be able to keep one foot in the world of orchestral trumpet playing while also having the opportunity to fully experience everything that L.A. can offer this amazing instrument. Presently, I play principal trumpet for AYS, having premiered with the orchestra in February of 2023 at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, where I performed Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem with the National Children Chorus. In addition to playing in a number of L.A./SoCal orchestras, I am particularly excited to have begun my studio career in Los Angeles, working on a number of recording projects for commercial music. 

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
There are two qualities really: 

1) Resilience. As artists, we are told “no” so much. Not saying there aren’t bad days or questions, but your ability to pick yourself up and dust yourself off is a trait that will serve you for the rest of your creative journey. 

2) Kindness. Ronald Romm, founder of the most successful brass quintet of all time, first told me when I was very young (and I have heard it echoed many times over all over) that there are dozens of musicians that are “better” than you, but what makes you stand out is the way you treat people. From the famous conductor to the stage tech putting away music stands, everyone deserves kindness. 

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.emmaplaystrumpet.org/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emma.breen.12532