Meet David
Music, the trumpet, and David Nakazono were entangled before birth. This musical story begins in 1985 when two young trumpet players met in the California High School band in San Ramon, CA. She was 1st chair; he was 2nd; and he never challenged for her seat. Fast forward to 1995, and David Nakazono is born in Chicago, often referred to as the Mecca for brass playing. In those early years, David would spend car rides buzzing on a trumpet mouthpiece. Trumpet was an inevitability.
No one’s story and journey is ever straightforward. As David grew up, his dreams and aspirations changed and developed, as he experienced all the world had to offer. David first dreamed of being a train conductor, then a professional skateboarder. But as that dream faded, David didn’t have an answer to the question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” During that time, David’s parents encouraged him to pursue many different interests including piano; a variety of sports like golf, soccer, baseball, gymnastics, and biking; and academics.
Just before the 7th grade, David’s parents presented him with an opportunity: Middle School Band. Curious, but not yet sold, David decided to try it out. Out came the trumpets from storage and into David’s hands. From those first few notes onward, he was hooked!
There was a small hiccup when David tried to enroll in Band, however. You had to join the band in the 6th grade, not 7th! Were it not for his mother convincing the band director to give David a chance, our story may have never begun!
David loved playing the trumpet and practiced daily without fail! Following a few introductory lessons from his father, David began studying privately with Jason Ortiz.
Growing up as an Army Brat brought many opportunities for David in music and beyond. David performed in Italy, Germany, and Turkey, all before graduating high school. He studied with several teachers including Friedhelm Biessecker in Germany and Kenneth Capshaw in Texas.
Throughout David’s grade school education, he discovered and developed aptitudes in a variety of fields including music, athletics, and academics–particularly in Math and Science. Still, David didn’t have a true answer to what he wanted to be.
Being a sensible fellow, David chose to pursue an education in Physics at the University of California at Santa Barbara. He greatly enjoyed learning and exploring how the universe is and comes to be through Math and Physics. However, when the question of graduate schools came up, David couldn’t settle on a specialty to pursue; nothing called out to him in Physics or Engineering. However, while David was earning his Bachelor’s in Physics, he was simultaneously earning a Bachelor’s in Trumpet Performance.
It wasn’t until the Christmas Break of David’s Junior Year that he realized the path that beckoned him forward. Over that break, David’s father, knowing full well that his son could not pursue Physics and Music simultaneously at the graduate level, asked David, “So, when are you going to quit trumpet?” David was taken aback. He had never considered that a possibility. Though David answered uncertainly, he knew he would never put the trumpet down! That question spurred an existential exploration of what was to be David’s future.
One Thursday morning at about 4 AM, following an intense binge session of the Amazon Prime show Mozart in the Jungle, David found his calling: he was to be a musician. After one more episode, he took a short nap before rushing to his 7 AM trumpet lesson with Grant Hungerford. Despite being sleep-deprived, David felt invigorated, motivated, and determined.
After completing both degrees in Music and Physics, David packed up all of his trumpets, turned his back to the sunny and temperate paradise of Santa Barbara, and faced his future in Chicago. There, David earned his Master’s from the Chicago College of Performing Arts under the tutelage of Mark Ridenour, Neal Berntsen, and Esteban Batallan.
Following his studies, David has won positions with the Peoria Symphony, the Wisconsin Philharmonic, the South Bend Symphony, and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. He has also performed with the Illinois Symphony, the National Repertory Orchestra, and the Elmhurst Symphony. He has performed as guest principal with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Dubuque Symphony, Peoria Symphony, and the Wisconsin Philharmonic. David has also pursued chamber and solo performances, being a founding member of Lakeshore Brass and soloing with the Peoria Symphony.
Equipment
David is an equipment geek and has collected many instruments including a variety of Bach, Conn, Schilke, Couesnon, Yamaha, Monke, Dowids, Antoine Courtois, and Jupiter.