Susan Slaughter Trumpet Scholarship
The Susan Slaughter Trumpet Scholarship was established to honor Slaughter's distinguished career after the announcement of her retirement from the Saint Louis Symphony at the end of her 41st season.
Susan Slaughter, a graduate of Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, became the first woman to win a principal trumpet position in a major American symphony orchestra in 1972. This accomplishment allowed her access to influence many young future musicians not only by way of the thousands of performances with the SLSO, but also countless master classes and clinics. She has also recorded over one hundred recordings with the orchestra, garnering six Grammy awards and one Edison award.
In the orchestra, Slaughter was deeply respected for not only her boundless musicianship, but as a leader whose traits are hallmarked by fairness, equality, and compassion. In 1990, she founded the International Women's Brass Conference, an organization that exists to provide opportunities that will educate, develop, support, and inspire all women brass musicians who desire to pursue professional careers in music.
Slaughter graduated from Indiana University, where she received the prestigious performer's certificate for outstanding musical performance. She has studied with Herbert Mueller, Bernard Adelstein, Arnold Jacobs, Robert Nagel, Claude Gordon, and Laurie Frink. Before performing with the SLSO, she was principal trumpet of the Toledo Symphony.
To honor Susan's distinguished career, her sensitive leadership, and her selfless devotion to creating opportunities for deserving musicians of any gender, the trumpet section of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Thomas Drake, Joshua MacCluer, nad Michael Walk, established the Susan Slaughter Trumpet Scholarship at the Jacobs School of Music to support undergraduate trumpet students, with preference given to female students.