Natalie Dungey, a 25-year-old American trumpeter, rose to international prominence at the age of 10 after her electrifying performance of the Arutunian Trumpet Concerto at the National Trumpet Competition gained widespread attention on YouTube. This performance catapulted her into the spotlight, leading to numerous opportunities as a featured soloist with prestigious ensembles and orchestras across the United States and abroad, including Japan, Korea, and Australia.

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Natalie has appeared as a soloist on NPR’s From The Top (show #202) with Christopher O’Reilly and has premiered works for trumpet and orchestra. One notable premiere was "Calling The Calvary," composed for her by Grammy-winning Hollywood film composer Mateo Messina, best known for his work on the Juno soundtrack. She performed the world premiere with the Northwest Symphony Orchestra at Seattle's Benaroya Hall to an audience of 2,000 and later reprised the piece with the Bellevue Philharmonic Orchestra for a 30,000-strong Independence Day concert and again with the Northwest Symphony on a subscription concert.

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In 2013, John Zoltek, music director of the Glacier Symphony, composed a two-movement trumpet concerto for Natalie, which she premiered to two sold-out performances. That same year, she was the featured soloist with the Louisville Orchestra for the opening concert of the Kentucky Music Educator’s Association Conference. Her extensive performance history includes the Arutunian Trumpet Concerto with the Indiana Wind Symphony, the Hummel Trumpet Concerto with the Auburn Symphony (WA), and Grand Russian Fantasia by Jules Levy with the Boston Brass at both the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago and the Texas Bandmasters Association in San Antonio. In 2012, Natalie spent six weeks in Japan with the Aimachi Drum & Bugle Corps as a featured soloist for their 50th-anniversary production. She has also been a guest artist at events such as the Great American Brass Band Festival in Kentucky, the Britt Festival in Oregon, and the Festival Amadeus in Montana.

 

Additional highlights include a second victorious year at the National Trumpet Competition with a performance of the Tomasi Concerto, appearances with the University of Washington bands, and soloing in works such as “The Trumpeter’s Lullaby” with the Auburn Symphony, “Prayer of Saint Gregory” with the Northwest Symphony, and Del Staigers’ “Carnival of Venice” with the Sammamish Symphony. In January 2020, she performed Semaine Sainte à Cuzco with the UCLA Philharmonia after winning the “All Stars” competition. In 2022, she performed at the Coachella Music Festival with 88Rising for the "Heads in the Clouds" set.

 

Natalie’s musical journey began in a supportive family steeped in music. Her mother is a professional violinist, and her father is a professional trumpeter and band director. As a toddler, Natalie would join her father’s trumpet lessons and rehearsals, eagerly playing whenever she could. She persisted in teaching herself the basics until her father began formal lessons with her at age 7, treating her like any of his students.

Her early accomplishments included being advanced to the National Trumpet Competition Junior Division semi-final round just before her ninth birthday, where she gained exposure on Fox 5 TV News and received coaching from trumpet luminaries Vincent DiMartino, Adam Rapa, and Vladislav Lavrik.

In addition to learning from her father, Natalie studied under Adam Rapa and had lessons with notable trumpeters, including Jerry Oram, Jerome Austin, David Gordon, Jason Carder, and Justin Emerich. Her mother also provided coaching for both trumpet and violin.

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Natalie graduated from UCLA in June 2021 with a Bachelor of Music in Trumpet Performance and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She currently resides in Los Angeles, where she teaches private lessons to students ranging from beginners to advanced players, some of whom have reached high levels such as All-State Bands and the semi-finals of the National Trumpet Competition. Natalie continues to pursue various professional ventures and inspire audiences with her talent.