Los Angeles Philharmonic Player Bios

[Derek Reaban]

Donald Green



Donald Green is the Principal Trumpet of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, a position he has held since 1999. Prior to this he was the Associate Principal with the LA Phil from 1982 to 1999. Before joining the Philharmonic, Green was the Principal Trumpet of the Detroit Symphony from 1975 to 1982. He has also been a member of the Houston, Seattle, and New Jersey Symphony Orchestras. Green is a graduate of the University of Southern California (Bachelor of Arts) and the Juilliard School (Master of Music). In addition to his duties with the Philharmonic, Mr. Green works frequently in recording studios for motion picture and television soundtrack recordings.

Player bio taken from the Los Angeles Philharmonic web site from 2004.
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Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe Winds / Symphony of the Southwest

[Derek Reaban]

James Wilt



James Wilt joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic in March 2003 as associate principal trumpet. Prior to this, Wilt spent 14 years as the associate principal trumpet of the Houston Symphony. Wilt has also held positions with New York Philharmonic, the Denver Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, and Dayton Philharmonic. Wilt has recorded with all of these orchestras and with the Eastman Philharmonia and Wind Ensemble.

Although primarily an orchestral musician, Wilt has performed a wide range of solo and chamber music, including three solo appearances with the Houston Symphony and appearances on the New York Philharmonic's chamber music series. Since joining the Los Angeles Philharmonic, he has performed regularly as part of the Philharmonic's Green Umbrella series. Mr. Wilt was most recently featured with the Philharmonic in June of 2004, playing the solo trumpet part of Shostakovich's Piano Concerto #1. He has also performed with Da Camera and the Greenbriar Consortium and has participated in the Grand Teton and Colorado music festivals. In 1999 and 2002, Wilt traveled to Japan to perform as principal trumpet of the Super World Orchestra at the Tokyo Music Festival as part of an orchestra of musicians selected from around the world.

Wilt graduated magna cum laude from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Eugene Blee. His graduate work was done at the Eastman School of Music, where he studied with Charles Geyer. He has taught at the University of Northern Colorado and at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music.

Player bio taken from the Los Angeles Philharmonic web site from 2005.
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Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe Winds / Symphony of the Southwest

[Derek Reaban]

Rob Roy McGregor



Rob Roy McGregor’s principal teacher was Clifford Lillya in Ann Arbor, Michigan (1961-1967). McGregor was assistant principal trumpet of the Baltimore Symphony (1970-1981) before joining the trumpet section of the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1981. In 1991 he formed Balquhidder Music, a publishing company, which specializes in pedagogical and ensemble works for trumpet and other brass instruments. These works are exclusively distributed by Carl Fischer Music, Inc., New York.

Player bio taken from the Los Angeles Philharmonic web site from 2005.
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Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe Winds / Symphony of the Southwest

[Derek Reaban]

Boyde Hood



A native of Dallas, Texas, Philharmonic trumpeter Boyde Hood received his BM degree in trumpet performance from the Eastman School of Music and master of music degree in theory and composition from Ball State University. He is a member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and performs regularly with the Philharmonic's New Music Group and the Philharmonic Brass Trio. Mr. Hood is principal trumpet with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Royal Ballet and American Ballet Theater and has recorded extensively for major motion picture and television studios. He has been a member of the Dallas and Milwaukee Symphonies, assistant principal of the Rochester Philharmonic, and first trumpet with the Marlboro Festival Orchestra.

Mr. Hood joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic in January 1982 and has appeared as a soloist with the Orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl; as a conductor, he has led Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute Orchestra brass musicians in several fanfares. He appeared at the John Anson Ford Theatre in a Chamber Music Under the Stars event in August 1995.

Player bio taken from the Los Angeles Philharmonic and USC Thornton School of Music web sites from 2005.
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Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe Winds / Symphony of the Southwest

[Derek Reaban]

Thomas Stevens



Thomas Stevens was appointed to the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra in 1965 by then music director, Zubin Mehta, who named him principal trumpet in 1972, a position he held until 1999. He served in the same capacity with the "Orchestra of the World," Sir George Solti's hand-picked group assembled in Geneva for the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations, and the Casals Festival Orchestra in Puerto Rico. The Los Angeles appointment was preceded by a stint in the U.S. Army as solo trumpeter with the United States Military Academy Band at West Point followed by a one year engagement with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. In addition to his work as an orchestral musician, Mr.Stevens has performed and recorded as a soloist and chamber musician with major organizations, worldwide, including the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. He was a founding member of the Los Angeles Brass Quintet and also maintained an active presence in the Hollywood recording studios for many years, working on motion picture and television soundtrack recordings.

Stevens is perhaps best known for his activities in the promotion, performance, and premier recordings of new music for solo trumpet. His efforts have resulted in many works that have become staples of the genre, including the "Sequenza X" of Luciano Berio, which was written specifically for him.

Mr. Stevens is a published composer, arranger, and orchestrator whose works have been performed in many concert venues and on recordings. His educational materials are used in music schools throughout the world. Thomas Stevens has been a faculty member at the University of Southern California, CalArts, and the Music Academy of the West. He has also given masterclasses and has had residencies at numerous institutions around the globe. The list of his former students includes prominent soloists, members of major symphony orchestras, and faculty members at leading universities and schools of music.

Following his retirement from the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Thomas Stevens was active on the international master class circuit, which included a stint as the assistant director of TAW in Bremen, Germany. He also wrote a regular column, called “Backstage,” for the Brass Bulletin. He is currently affiliated with Editions Bim (Switzerland) as a member of the editorial staff and a special projects coordinator.

In 1996, Stevens was named outstanding alumnus of the year by the University of Southern California School of Music, where he did his undergraduate studies.

Player bio taken from StepanianMusic.com web site from 2005.
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Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe Winds / Symphony of the Southwest

[Derek Reaban]

Robert DiVall


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Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe Winds / Symphony of the Southwest

[Derek Reaban]

Christopher Still



Christopher Still joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 2007. Before coming to California, Chris performed as Principal Trumpet of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. Chris has also held the positions of Associate Principal Trumpet of the Dallas Symphony and Principal Trumpet of the Charleston (SC) Symphony. Additionally, he has served as Assistant Principal Trumpet with the Grant Park Festival Orchestra in Chicago's Millenium Park. He has performed with the Boston Symphony, Boston Pops, Portland (ME) Symphony, Boston Philharmonic, Vermont Symphony, and the Orquesta Sinfonica de Galicia in La Coruna, Spain. Chris has appeared as a soloist with the Colorado and the Littleton (CO) symphonies. He can be heard on recordings with the Grant Park, Dallas, and Albany (NY) symphony orchestras. Chris is a dedicated educator and an active clinician.

Having grown up in a musical household, Chris originally intended to become a band director and earned a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the Crane School of Music (SUNY-Potsdam). Switching to performance, he received his Master of Music Performance degree from the New England Conservatory in Boston. Chris's teachers have included Charles Schlueter of the Boston Symphony, James Pandolfi of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, and Vincent Penzarella of the New York Philharmonic. He was a Tanglewood Music Center Fellow in 1995 and 1996.

Chris lives with his wife Amanda McIntosh, a clarinetist. He enjoys distance running, skiing, brewing beer, and training his dogs Cruz and Grette.

Player bio taken from the Los Angeles Philharmonic web site from 2007.
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Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe Winds / Symphony of the Southwest