Susan Slaughter

Susan Slaughter (* around 1950 in McCordsville , Indiana ) is an American classical trumpeter. As an emancipated musician, she fought for her place in the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra , making her the first woman to play the first trumpet of a well-known orchestra. By founding the International Women's Brass Conference, Slaughter created networking for empowering women in the music industry. Among other things, the women-only ensemble “Monarch Brass” emerged from this conference.

Live and act

Susan Slaughter grew up in a rural area with her parents and two older brothers. Her family's roots are not in music, but in agriculture. As a ten-year-old girl, she wanted to learn the trumpet, because she was taken with the sound of the trumpet through church and television. A band program at her elementary school gave her the opportunity to learn an instrument. Her brother, who was six years older, also taught her to start playing the piano at home. The teachers quickly noticed that she had a talent for the trumpet and tried to support her. In the high school stage band she was not allowed to play because of her gender. It was only when the band was looking for a replacement that they were asked if they would play. Slaughters parents made it possible for her to take private trumpet lessons at the Jordan Conservatory in Indiana while attending school. After her 10th year of high school, Slaughter was allowed to play in the orchestra for the first time at a summer camp.

Education

After high school, Slaughter began trumpet studies at Indiana University . There she was the only female trumpet student to play in the orchestra. She was taught by Herbert Müller at Indiana University . She completed her “Bachelor of Music” in 1967 and received a “Performer's Certificate”. In the year before and in 1968 she attended the Aspen Festival and studied with Robert Nagel. In 1969 she received a scholarship to Tanglewood , a musical rehearsal and concert venue in Bershire County, and played here in the orchestra.

Professional background

Shortly before graduating in Indiana, Slaughter wrote over 30 applications to various orchestras. She did not get any feedback on the applications that were first written. When she finally only signed with her initials, she received individual responses and invitations to audition. She auditioned with the Milwaukee Symphony, North Carolina Symphony and Toledo Symphony. She received the first position for two seasons in 1967-1969 with the Toledo Symphony. In her last season with the Toledo Symphony, she took part in an audition with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra , where she subsequently got a position as a trumpeter. A few weeks before the season began in 1972, the first trumpeter of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra resigned. Slaughter and a trumpeter from the Israel Symphony Orchestra occupied the position together. It was only after four months that she was elected the only female first trumpeter in the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra . From then on, Slaughter appeared as 1st trumpeter and soloist with the St. Louis Symphony. Up to and including 2010 she occupied the first position and played in the St. Louis Symphony for over 40 years . However, as a leading trumpeter, she experienced a lot of headwind from colleagues. She also played duets with Wynton Marsalis , Kathleen Battle , Christine Brewer , Doc Severinsen and Al Hirt . Since the 1980s she has played the national anthem and "God Bless America" annually at the St. Louis Cardinals baseball games after baseball commissioner Fay Vincent asked her to do so. Slaughter has given masterclasses for organizations such as the National Orchestra Institute, the Teton Music Festival, the International trumpet guild, Northwestern University, and the Peadody School of Music at Johns Hopkins University .

International Women's Brass Conference

In the summer of 1989 she also became a lecturer at the Grand Teton Orchestra. As a lecturer at the Grand Teton Orchestra, Slaughter came up with the idea of founding a women's brass conference. Slaughter made a survey that she sent out to around 1,500 female brass players. She got the names of these musicians through the use of directories from different organizations. With some feedback, Slaughter gained supporters and the creation of an international women's brass conference began. The aim of this conference should be to support and inspire women brass musicians who aspire to a musical professional career, opportunities to enable education. In addition, there were long-term plans to create newsletters, organize and hold conferences with prominent women artists, found a brass ensemble for women only, produce CDs and create a directory for brass women. In 1991 Slaughter finally founded the international women's brass conference and, together with Rebecca Staup, an art manager, formed the board of the new conference. In 1993, the first conference was held at Washington University in St. Louis . The result was the women's ensemble, Monarch Brass, which toured the USA in 1996 and Italy in 1999. In 2010 they released their first CD entitled "Monarch Brass". In addition, several other ensembles were created by other conference participants. To support the international brass women conference, Slaughter founded the Holiday Brass Concerts as a fundraiser.

Prizes and awards

Slaughter received multiple nominations and awards. The Ladies Home Journal nominated her for Woman of the Year. She also received the “Special Leadership Award in Arts” from the “ Young Women's Christian Association ” and the local Owen Miller Prize from the American Musicians' Association.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME	Slaughter, Susan
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American classical trumpeter
DATE OF BIRTH	around 1950
PLACE OF BIRTH	McCordsville , Indiana