Merrie Klazek

University Professor Spotlight Recital

Merrie Klazek is a versatile and respected trumpet artist in the world of performance and education. Fluent in orchestral, chamber, solo, traditional (world), and popular music, Merrie joined the full-time faculty at the University of Victoria’s School of Music in 2016 after 21 years playing principal trumpet in Canadian Orchestras (Victoria Symphony, Thunder Bay Symphony, Orchestra London Canada.) Merrie holds an MMus from Northwestern University where she studied with the late Vincent Cichowicz.

Her musical travels have taken her around the globe with performance highlights including Spoleto Festival Italy, Musik Contemporaire Strasbourg France, Tokyo’s Bunka Kaikan hall, Hungary’s Niyrbator Festival, solo appearances with Canadian orchestras, and on folk and world music festival stages. Merrie’s solo album “Songs to the Moon” (2000) received critical acclaim and her new release “Dance Around the Sun” (2023) was recently awarded a Bronze Medal in the category of World Music at the Global Music Awards. Both are available on streaming platforms and Bandcamp.

Merrie has appeared as a presenter, artist and adjudicator at many international conferences and festivals including ITG, IWBC, CWBC, SBALZ, WTS and more. Her engaging lectures and presentations cover topics including Performance Skills, Trumpet Pedagogy, Women in Brass, Trumpet and the Art Song, and Music as a Global Connector.

Merrie is an endorsing artist for Bach Trumpets, Wedge Mouthpieces, and Robinson’s Remedies.