Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Player Bios

[Derek Reaban]

Don Johnson



Don Johnson was born August 7, 1939, in Chicago, Illinois. After a courageous six-month battle with cancer under the care of his family and loving wife, Florence, he passed away peacefully on May 29th, 2000 in Jerrabomberra, New South Wales, Australia.

In 1968, 29-year-old Don Johnson arrived in Perth, Western Australia, as principal trumpet of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra. He had already accumulated a wealth of experience as a performer and teacher. As a teenager, he toured as a trumpeter and arranger with the bands of Charlie Spivak, Art Mooney, Ray Eberle, and Judy Garland. At age 20, he became the principal trumpet of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. He relinquished this position in 1963 to further his education through a scholarship at the Curtis Institute of Music, and later earned a degree in music education from the University of North Carolina, while supporting himself as a music teacher and band director in the Greensboro, North Carolina, school system.

In 1978, he was appointed to the Canberra School of Music (Australia) as Lecturer in trumpet. He designed and implemented an excellent curriculum that established Canberra as a center for trumpet study. Don also initiated proposals for the introduction of a department of jazz studies. When this became a reality in 1985, Don became the first director of jazz studies. His lyrical jazz style concentrated on beautiful tone and melodic improvisation rather than demonstrative high-speed, high-altitude manipulation of chord changes. He also served as principal trumpet with the Canberra Symphony Orchestra. Don resigned from the school of music in 1998 and once again devoted himself to the education of school children, first as Band Director at Radford College and then as a member of the instrumental music department of the Australian Capital Territory department of education and training.

He emphasized that performance should be both aesthetically appropriate as well as technically correct. Never an overly aggressive player, he is remembered for the beauty of his tone with the ability to fill an auditorium with the sound of a pianissimo passage. His definitive performance of the Alfred Francis Hill Trumpet Concerto was released by EMI Records (OASD 7556).

Don was a modest man who avoided the limelight, yet made a huge and lasting contribution to the performance and teaching of music in Australia.

Player bio taken from the ITG News 2000 web site.
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Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe Winds / Symphony of the Southwest

[Derek Reaban]

Thomas Hooten



Thomas Hooten joined the faculty at Kennesaw State University in 2006, the same year that he was appointed principal trumpet of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, where he holds the endowed Madeline and Howell Adams Chair. He earned degrees in trumpet performance from the University of South Florida and Rice University. His primary teachers include Armando Ghitalla, John Hagstrom, and Don Owen.

In 2000, Mr. Hooten won a trumpet/cornet position with “The President’s Own” Marine Band where he often a featured soloist. Following his four-year enlistment in the Marine Band, he was appointed assistant principal trumpet with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, a position he held for two years before coming to Atlanta.

Player bio taken from the Kennesaw State University web site from March 2008.
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Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe Winds / Symphony of the Southwest

[Derek Reaban]

Stuart Stephenson

Stuart Stephenson joined the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) as Principal Trumpet at the beginning of the 2013-14 season.

Mr. Stephenson has performed at the Aspen Music Festival, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, and Tanglewood Music Center. An active educator, he maintains a private trumpet studio and is a brass coach for the Midwest Young Artists.

A Farifax Station, VA, native, Mr. Stephenson began playing the trumpet at age 10 and also plays the piano. He holds a bachelor’s degree from The Juilliard School and a master’s degree from Northwestern University. Mr. Stephenson’s notable teachers include Barbara Butler, Charlie Geyer, Chris Martin, Tom Rolfs, Tom Cupples, Adel Sanchez, Raymond Mase, and Mark Gould.

Player bio taken from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra website from 2013.
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Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe Winds / Symphony of the Southwest

[Derek Reaban]

Michael Myers

Michael Myers returns to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra trumpet section for the 2013-14 season after spending two seasons with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Mr. Myers has also held the position of fourth trumpet of the Grant Park Orchestra in Chicago’s Millennium Park since 2009. During the 2006-2007 season, he performed as third trumpet with the Oregon Symphony. He has also performed with the Chicago Symphony, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Milwaukee Symphony, Colorado Symphony, and Richmond Symphony. Mr. Myers can be heard on recordings with the Grant Park Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Atlanta Symphony.

Mr. Myers graduated with a Bachelor of Music from James Madison University, where he studied with James Kluesner, and a master’s degree in trumpet performance from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music with Armando Ghitalla. Additional teachers include Vincent Cichowicz, John Hagstrom, Larry Knopp, Ben Wright, Charles Geyer, Barbara Butler, Channing Philbrick, James Pandolfi, and James Wilt. In addition to having a private teaching studio, Mr. Myers was the Associate Professor of Trumpet at Lake Forest College from 2008-2010, and has been a guest lecturer at DePaul University.

Player bio taken from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra website from 2013.
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Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe Winds / Symphony of the Southwest