Gary Mortenson is Head of the Department of Music at K-State, where he also teaches trumpet and conducts the trumpet and brass ensembles. He received his education at Augustana College (BME), Ithaca College (MM), and The University of Texas (DMA). His trumpet teachers included Raymond Crisara, Renold Schilke, James Ode, and Herbert Mueller. He studied conducting with Tom Lee, Jerry Junkin, and Pamela Gearhart. Before joining the K-State music faculty in 1989, Mortenson taught for five years at The University of Louisiana-Lafayette where ensembles under his direction appeared at The International Trumpet Guild Conference and The New York Brass Conference. Prior to his appointment as Music Department Head, Dr. Mortenson served as the KSU’s Director of Graduate Studies in Music, and previously served as Chair of the Wind and Percussion Division.
In 2001, Dr. Mortenson became the Publications Editor of the International Trumpet Guild Journal and an administrator for the ITG Web Site. In these roles, he is responsible for all decisions regarding the content and format of ITG’s print and electronic publication materials. He also serves as a member of ITG’s Board of Directors. The publications division of the International Trumpet Guild represents an investment of nearly two million dollars and a staff that numbers 35. The Journal is considered the leading periodical dealing with the trumpet and is received by trumpet enthusiasts in all fifty U.S. states and more than sixty countries around the world. In fulfilling his duties for ITG, Mortenson has traveled extensively in the United States, Great Britain, France, Finland, Spain, Greece, and Thailand.
Mortenson released a CD titled Miniatures for Trumpet with pianist William Wingfield in 1999, during a sabbatical leave from K-State. The CD was reviewed and critically acclaimed in the International Trumpet Guild Journal. The recording contains over one hour of music for trumpet alone, and trumpet with piano. In October of 1999, he toured Germany and Austria performing recitals and giving master classes. Mortenson remains active as a performer in solo, chamber, orchestral, and wind music. He has been on the faculty of Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp every summer since 1986, where he teaches trumpet and performs with faculty ensembles.
Under Gary Mortenson’s direction, KSU Brass Ensembles have been extremely active in the performance of new music before significant audiences. Since 1990, KSU brass ensembles have commissioned and performed more than fifty new compositions. The Trumpet Ensemble has premiered works before International Trumpet Guild Conferences in 1990 and 1994, 1998, and 2001. The Brass Ensemble performed for the International Brassfest in 1995, The New York Brass Conference in 1993, and six times since 1990 at the Kansas Music Educators In-Service Workshop. In 2001 and 2006, the KSU Brass Ensemble appeared with the KSU Choir at The Cathedral of the Plains in Victoria, Kansas. In 2003, the KSU Trumpet Ensemble performed two world premieres prior to a major concert session at the International Trumpet Guild Conference held in Fort Worth, Texas. In 2004, the KSU Alumni Trumpet Ensemble and KSU Student Brass Quintet premiered a total of four compositions at the ITG Conference in Denver, Colorado. After that event, the KSU Student Brass Quintet flew to Lichtenberg, Germany to participate in the 2004 Haus Marteau Brass Chamber Music Workshop. Other invited groups were from Germany and Russia. In 2005, members from the KSU trumpet studio performed prelude music at the 2005 ITG Conference in Bangkok, Thailand. In 2006, members and alumni of the KSU trumpet studio participated in “Exploring Trumpet in Greece,” an invitation-only workshop held in Kalavryta, Greece; and the KSU Brass Ensemble was invited back to participate in the 2007 workshop, “Exploring Brass in Greece” where they worked with Vincent DiMartino and members of the Millennium Brass Quintet.
