Trumpeter Eric Berlin has made new music the focus of his career. As a soloist, he has commissioned, premiered and recorded new works for trumpet written by some of the 21st century's most exciting composers, including George Tsontakis, Stephen Paulus, Joseph Turrin, Anthony Plog, Eric Ewazen and James Stephenson. Much of this work has been documented on his solo releases on MSR Classics, which include End of the Matter, Calls and Echoes and Fantastique. Fantastique documents works Berlin commissioned and premiered for trumpet and wind ensemble, including Stephen Paulus' "Concerto for Two Trumpets," which received a Grammy Award nomination in 2014 for Best Classical Contemporary Composition.
"True Colors for Trumpet and Orchestra" by George Tsontakis was commissioned for Berlin by the Albany Symphony Orchestra in 2012. This recording was released on NAXOS and was named one of the Top 10 Classical Albums of 2017 by National Public Radio.
As Principal Trumpet of the Grammy Award-winning Albany Symphony Orchestra since 1998, Berlin can be heard with the ensemble on more than a dozen acclaimed recordings that include works by John Corigliano, Christopher Rouse, Aaron Kernis, John Harbison, Morton Gould, Roy Harris and William Schuman, to name a few. He also hold the position of Principal Trumpet with the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and is a member of the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, where he can be heard on several dozen recordings of the music of living American composers, including Derek Bermel, Jacob Druckman, Robert Erickson, Lukas Foss, Charles Fussell, Steven Mackey, Gunther Schuller and Evan Ziporyn. Since 2006, Berlin has spent his summers performing as Assistant Principal Trumpet of the Colorado Music Festival in Boulder, CO. In addition to his regular positions, he has performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Boston Pops.
Berlin enjoys international regard as a trumpet pedagogue as Associate Professor of Trumpet at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He has served two terms as a member of the Board of Directors of the International Trumpet Guild, and he hosted the 2007 ITG Annual Conference. Berlin has given masterclasses worldwide and at such prestigious institutions as Baylor University, the Eastman School of Music, Yale University and the University of North Texas as well as the Turku Conservatory in Turku, Finland and the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland. He also has a recurring column in Brass Herald, the world's largest brass magazine.
A native of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Berlin attended the New England Conservatory of Music, where he was a student of Charles Schlueter, former Principal Trumpet of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and Robert Nagel of the New York Brass Quintet. He also has studied extensively with Vincent Penzarella of the New York Philharmonic, Tom Rolfs of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Frank Kaderabek, former Principal Trumpet of The Philadelphia Orchestra.
While not performing and teaching, Berlin can be found running, hiking and biking in the Rocky Mountains and Western Massachusetts, where he lives with his constant companion Reuben, the wonder dog.
