Charles Gorham Trumpet Scholarship
(est. 2010) The Charles Gorham trumpet Scholarship is intended to support undergraduate and graduate scholarships for full-time students who are studying Trumpet at the Jacobs School of Music.
Charles Gorham was born in Atlanta in 1930. In his early development, Mr. Gorham notes the instruction of teachers Roy Lee, Powell Everhart, Robert Landholt, and John Dilliard, the later who performed in Paul Whiteman’s Band and introduced Mr. Gorham to the Schlossburg “Daily Drills.” In 1944, he attended the Interlochen Music Festival and had the opportunity to play for Herbert L. Clarke, Edwin Franko Goldman, and Percy Grainger among others.
After being offered the Associate Principal Trumpet position in the Cleveland Orchestra by George Szell, Mr. Gorham enlisted and spent four years playing in the US Air Force Band during which time he earned a Master’s Degree at The Catholic University of America.
Upon completion of his four year tour of duty with the USAF Band and Orchestra, Mr. Gorham accepted a teaching position at Baldwin–Wallace College Conservatory of Music and frequently performed with the Cleveland Orchestra under Robert Shaw.
Mr. Gorham accepted a position on the faculty at Indiana University and in 1969 became chairman of the Brass Department under the appointment of Dean Wilfred Bain. This position allowed him to present clinics and concerts from Oregon to Israel and promote the Jacobs School of Music’s incredible program and its variety of ensembles.
In 1973-74, Mr. Gorham co-founded the International Trumpet Guild with Robert Nagel and has seen this group grow to become a most valuable organization to professionals, teachers and students, as well as others interested in the trumpet, its performance possibilities and its history. Parallel to ITG was the First and then the Second International Brass Congress hosted by Phil Farkas, M. Dee Stewart and Harvey Phillips.
Mr. Gorham notes those who have influenced him throughout his life. The trumpet artistry of: Maurice Andre, William Vacchiano, Adolph Herseth, Timothy Dokshitzer, Louis Armstrong, Harry James, Wynton Marsalis, and the incredible, Doc Severinsen have left him memories to last a lifetime. Mr. Gorham notes, “I feel that the most important facets of my teaching career have included my ability to inspire students to achieve their highest level of performance ability, as well as to motivate them to expand their basic knowledge and integration of musical insight.”