Newly appointed Oregon Symphony Principal Trumpet Jeffrey Work has been hailed as “an unusually accomplished and powerful trumpet player” by The Boston Globe. Discovered by Mstislav Rostropovich in January of 1992, Jeffrey appeared as the soloist on a series of four National Symphony Orchestra subscription concerts later that year. Rostropovich subsequently invited him to perform at the 1993 Rencontres Musicales d’Evian in Evian, France. There, Jeffrey made both concerto and chamber music appearances, returning in the same capacity in 1997. He was also offered his November of 1994 Paris debut by the Director of Music of Radio France.
His 1992 concerts with the NSO were actually Jeffrey’s second appearances with that orchestra. A Washington D. C. native, Jeffrey won the NSO’s Young Soloists’ Competition in 1985 and performed on four young people’s concerts conducted by Hugh Wolff. He has also given solo performances with the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, The United States Army Band, the New England Conservatory’s Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble and Bach Ensemble, as well as with regional, community and festival orchestras throughout the country. In 1997, during his third solo engagement with the Missouri Chamber Orchestra, Jeffrey recorded the Haydn Trumpet Concerto. In 1998, the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston featured him in the world premiere of Eric Ewazen’s Concerto for Trumpet and String Orchestra and in 2003 that orchestra joined Jeffrey in premiering James M. Stephenson’s Concerto for Trumpet.
In recital, Jeffrey’s concerts have included three for Washington’s “Music at Noon” series and two in Boston’s Jordan Hall. His programs, which encompass a wide variety of musical styles and instrumental colors, highlight the trumpet’s versatility as a solo instrument. The Washington Post has predicted a “solid concert career” for Jeffrey. Â Another review, in Virginia’s Fairfax Journal, Â paid tribute to his extraordinary abilities: “His trumpet tone was clear but velvet-edged in the middle and low range and the top notes had the texture and brilliance of spun gold.”
In 1995, Jeffrey received the New England Conservatory of Music’s highest performance honor, the Artist Diploma. He remains the only trumpet soloist in that program’s long history. He was an active freelance musician in Boston until his move to Portland. Jeffrey’s principal teachers have been Sgt. Major Robert Ferguson, Charles Schlueter and Armando Ghitalla.
