Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Player Bios

[Derek Reaban]

Mark Niehaus



Mark Niehaus has been principal trumpet of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra since 1998. In Milwaukee, he has often been a featured soloist with the orchestra, performing the Haydn Trumpet Concerto, Hummel Trumpet Concerto, Bach Cantata No. 51, and the Martin Concerto for Seven Winds. He has also performed as a soloist with the New World Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Eastern Philharmonic and the New Haven Symphony. Prior to joining the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Mr. Niehaus spent three seasons as principal trumpet of the New World Symphony on Miami Beach with Artistic Director Michael Tilson Thomas. He may be heard on two RCA label recordings with the New World Symphony: “The Music of Villa Lobos” and “New World Jazz,” on which he is a featured soloist. Mr. Niehaus began his professional career as principal trumpet of the New Haven Symphony – a post he attained while still a freshman at The Juilliard School. He remained with New Haven for six years, simultaneously serving as principal trumpet of the Juilliard Orchestra. His teachers at Juilliard included Mark Gould and Raymond Mase. Immediately upon graduation, Mr. Niehaus joined the faculty of The Juilliard School’s Pre-College Division and was active in The Juilliard School’s Music Advancement Program, where he taught high school students from the New York City public school system. Mr. Niehaus’ studio was featured in a report on CBS’s “60 Minutes.” Mr. Niehaus now commutes weekly from Milwaukee to his high school alma mater, the North Carolina School of the Arts, where he is professor of trumpet. He spends his summers at the Eastern Music Festival as principal trumpet of the faculty orchestra. He has spent past summers at the Tanglewood Music Festival, National Repertory Orchestra, Pacific Music Festival, Spoleto USA, and the Colorado Music Festival. Mr. Niehaus is also a founding member of two brass ensembles: the New York Big Brass and the National Brass Virtuosi, composed of members of the Cleveland Orchestra and the Houston Symphony.

Player bio taken from North Carolina School of the Arts Faculty Bio web page from 2004
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Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe Winds / Symphony of the Southwest

[Derek Reaban]

Dennis Najoom



Dennis Najoom is the co-principal trumpet of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. A member of the orchestra since 1970, he has also served as Pops principal under Doc Severinson, backing up many major jazz and pop artists. He is also the principal trumpet of the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Jazz Quintet and the Cream City Brass Quintet. Najoom is an adjunct professor of trumpet at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and at Lawrence University. He has taught trumpet at the University of Wisconsin Parkside, the Julius Hartt School of Music, and has given master classes at Tanglewood, Oberlin, Eastman, Manhattan and many other prominent music schools throughout the United States and Canada. Also known for advances in trumpet design, Najoom designed a new line of pre m i e r professional quality trumpets for Boosey & Hawkes called French Besson Classic. Najoom was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and began his trumpet studies at age nine with his uncle, George Fulginiti. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in music performance from the University of Hartford’s Hartt College of Music, he won the position of assistant principal trumpet with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. Najoom studied with many of the world’s great trumpet teachers and performers including Robert Nagel, Roger Voisin, Armando Ghitalla, Seymour Rosenfeld, Arnold Jacobs and Mel Broils.

Player bio taken from ITG 2001 Conference Bios web site
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Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe Winds / Symphony of the Southwest

[Derek Reaban]

Frederick Fuller

Fred became a member of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in 1973. In addition, he has performed with the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra and Cream City Brass, the Hartford Symphony, and the Connecticut Opera Orchestra and Brass Quintet. Also experienced as a teacher, he was a music instructor at Kinhaven Music Camp in Vermont for four summers. He completed his Bachelor of Music degree at the Hartt College of Music and has done graduate work at the Yale School of Music.

Player bio taken from MSO Musicians Roster web page from 2004
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Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe Winds / Symphony of the Southwest

[Derek Reaban]

J. Robert Hanson

J. Robert Hanson is a graduate of Concordia College , Moorhead , Minnesota . His graduate study at the University of Iowa includes the completion of a M.A. in Music Education, a M.F.A. in Trumpet Performance and a Ph.D. in Composition. He taught at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee before joining the music faculty at Concordia College in 1966. He conducted the Concordia College Band for eight years and was the founder and conductor of the Concordia College Orchestra from 1967 until his retirement in 1995.

Dr. Hanson was also the conductor of the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra from 1974 to 1990. During his tenure the symphony received four ASCAP awards for “Adventuresome Programming of Contemporary Music”. An accomplished trumpet player, Dr. Hanson has an extensive background in performance, which included playing principal trumpet with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.

As a composer, he has written works for orchestra, band and other instrumental and vocal ensembles. Recent compositions include commissioned works for the Minnesota All State Orchestra, the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies, the Twin Cities Suburban Festival Orchestra, the Grand Forks Central and Red River High School Bands, and six anthems for three churches in Willmar , Minnesota as part of the Church/Synagogue Residency Program sponsored by the American Composers Forum.

Player bio taken from Concordia Music Faculty (Moorhead, Minnesota) web page from 2004
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Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe Winds / Symphony of the Southwest

[Derek Reaban]

Charles Schlueter



Richard Metzger (Left) & Charles Schlueter (Right) - 1966

Charles Schlueter, grew up in Du Quoin, Illinois and got his early musical training there. His first teacher was Charles Archibald and then he continued studying with Don Lemasters at the Egyptian Music Company when he won ten free lessons in a coloring contest competition sponsored by the store. Mel Siener, Band Director at Du Quoin Township High School, had a profound influence on Charles becoming a professional musician.

Charles Schlueter has been principal trumpet of the Boston Symphony Orchestra since 1981. Prior to his appointment in Boston, he held the same position in the Minnesota Orchestra, the Milwaukee Symphony, and the Kansas City Philharmonic. He was also associate principal trumpet in the Cleveland Orchestra under George Szell.

Throughout his long and distinguished career, Charles Schlueter has received numerous awards and accolades.

Mr. Schlueter has appeared as soloist both in recital, and with orchestras in France, Brazil, Japan, and in the United States, with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, under conductor, Seiji Ozawa, and the Minnesota Orchestra under conductors Neville Marriner, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, and Kazuyoshi Akiyama. He has appeared as soloist with the Kyushu Symphony in Fukuoka with conductor, Ken-Ichiro Kobayashi, and with the Tokyo City Philharmonic and the Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra, both with conductor, Naohiro Totsuka.

In demand as a teacher, he has held master classes in Europe, Canada, Japan, and South America. Since 1988, Mr. Schlueter has been a regular visitor to Brazil where he presented masterclasses and recitals and has appeared as soloist with orchestras in Joåo Pessoa, Såo Luis, Recife, and Såo Paulo, Campinas, Salvador, Vitoria and Rio de Janeiro. He has also performed and recorded with BRASSIL (the resident Brass Quintet of Paraiba) and on several occasions appeared with the Jazz Orchestra of J.U. Da Silva ("Duda".)

Mr. Schlueter is a member of the Boston Symphony Chamber Players. He is on the faculties of the New England Conservatory and the Tanglewood Music Center.

A graduate of the Juilliard School, Mr. Schlueter studied with William Vacchiano, principal trumpet of the New York Philharmonic.


Player bio taken from the Charles Schlueter web site from 2004
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Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe Winds / Symphony of the Southwest