James Recktenwald

James Recktenwald holds the Lynne A. Redgrave Chair as Assistant Principal Trumpet in the Louisville Orchestra. As an Orchestra member since February 1997, Dr. Recktenwald also performs with The Louisville Orchestra Brass Quintet on educational and community engagements. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree and a Master of Music degree from The University of Texas at Austin as well as a Bachelor of Music degree from The University of Louisville.

Dr. Recktenwald is the founder and manager of Kentucky Brass, a versatile brass and percussion ensemble, and Symphonic Arts Entertainment, a professional contracting/booking agency that provides a variety of professional ensembles for the Louisville area. Dr. Recktenwald maintains a prominent teaching studio and was the conductor of The Louisville Youth Orchestra’s Horizons Brass Ensemble for the past eight years.

James Recktenwald worked as Instructor of Trumpet at Memphis State University and then as a freelance trumpeter and teacher in Philadelphia. In his career, he has studied with many prominent trumpeters including Phil Smith, Bud Herseth, Charles Schlueter, David Bilger, Frank Kaderabek, Seymour Rosenfeld, Ray Crisara, Vincent DiMartino, and Leon Rapier.

Dr. Recktenwald finds inspiration from such artists as Maurice Andre, Phil Smith, and Clifford Brown, and has cherished the opportunity to engage in the ideas and emotions of wonderful artists, both living and dead, throughout his career. He recommends that all musicians should simply “Enjoy making music!” and doesn’t reserve that sentiment only for young musicians.

Dr. Recktenwald enjoys performing recitals with his wife Christina, an opera singer; his son Nicholas, a young trumpeter; and his daughter Isabella, a younger vocalist.