Chris Davis
Trumpet

Chris Davis is the leader of the Chris Davis Jazztet and trumpet professor at Trinity Christian College.  He also works with Orbert Davis’s Chicago Jazz Philharmonic as a trumpeter in the orchestra and as a teaching artist and jazz band director during the school year.

After earning a Jazz Studies Degree from Northern Illinois University in 2005, Davis began his teaching career as a band director in 2006 at Seton Academy High School in South Holland, Illinois.  Since then, he has served as an adjudicator for the Illinois Music Educators Association, as well as the Illinois High School Association, Iowa Jazz Championships, and many other competitions and festivals.

In recent years, Davis has worked with the following artists in some capacity: The Isley Brothers, Dennis Edwards and The Temptations Review, Orbert Davis, The Clarke Sisters, Steve Harvey, Mary Wilson, The Four Tops, Chicago Jazz Orchestra, Jennifer Hudson, Ron Kenoly, Barry Manilow, and many others.

Davis is the host of Behind the Note Podcast: Advice For A Successful Music Career, where he interviews musicians about what has worked for them in their career on their way to success. Past guests include Rufus Reid, Chris Botti, John Clayton, Terell Stafford, Dee Snider, Wynton Marsalis, and many others.

Chris also curates the YouTube channel TrumpetLessonsHQ, where he gives tips on how to become a better trumpet player.

Matthew Bronstein
Horn

Matthew Bronstein, born and raised in Agoura Hills, CA, received his bachelor’s degree in Horn performance from Roosevelt University in Chicago, where he studied with Dale Clevenger, the long-time principal horn of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. A highly praised freelancer in the Chicagoland area, he spent two years as a regular member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and has performed with the symphony orchestras of Chicago, Montreal, Milwaukee, and North Carolina, as well as the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Grant Park Music Festival Orchestra, and the Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra. His versatility has allowed him to perform with the Chicago Jazz Ensemble and Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, while also working on multiple jazz and pop recordings with such recording studios as Hinge Inc., Engine Studios, and Transient Sound Inc. His attended summer festivals include the Spoleto Music Festival, the Midsummer Chamber Music Festival, Tanglewood Music Center, the Music Academy of the West, and the Round Top Music Festival. Matthew is an avid sports fan and plays in the Midwest Suburban Baseball league on the Chicago River Bandits.

Matthew performs exclusively with the Blackbinder automatic scroll app for iPads.

Matthew performs exclusively on Mutec Mutes.

Timothy Archbold
Cello

Timothy Archbold is an Australian cellist currently playing with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Camerata Chicago and as associate principal with the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra.  He received his undergraduate degree in Music from the University of Melbourne, Australia then studied chamber music and cello performance in Germany for five years.  He then went on to receive his master’s degree in music from Wichita State University where he played with the Graduate String Quartet and the Wichita Symphony.  He is currently free-lancing and teaching in the Chicago Area. When not doing cello stuff, Timothy enjoys spending time with his wife and 3 girls Eleanor, Lucy and Abigail.

Derek Fitting
Trumpet

Shortly after arriving in Chicago in 2006 to attend the Chicago College of Performing Arts, Derek quickly established himself as an elite trumpet player. Equally comfortable in classical, commercial, rock and jazz, Derek is regularly seen performing throughout the Midwest with orchestras, operas, pit orchestras, as a featured soloist, and with the Temporal Brass Quintet of which he is a founding member. With a passion and dedication for the advancement of new music, Derek is a regular member of the Chicago Composers Orchestra and has also performed the world premiere of multiple new works for solo trumpet, chamber ensembles, orchestras, and operas.

In addition to his active performance career, Derek is equally active in education as a private lesson instructor and active clinician. Maintaining an active studio of over 40 students throughout the Chicagoland area and online, Derek passionately shares techniques and methods with his students, helping them to reach new heights in their playing and helping to pioneer the future of trumpet education. Many of his methods of teaching have been developed over years of studying with some of the worlds best trumpet players; including Gene Arnold, Rob Parton, Mark Ridenour(Chicago Symphony), and Channing Philbrick (Lyric Opera).