Thomas Hooten

Thomas Hooten is Principal Trumpet of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. He can be heard on numerous Los Angeles Philharmonic recordings, including Mahler's Ninth Symphony and Lutoslawski's Symphony No. 1. He has also recorded Scriabin's Poem of Ecstasy and Gandolfi's Garden of Cosmic Speculation with the Atlanta Symphony. Of the Los Angeles Philharmonic's recent performance of Mahler's Fifth Symphony, Los Angeles Times critic Mark Swed wrote, "The symphony begins with a terrifying trumpet solo. Thomas Hooten nailed it." Prior to joining the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Hooten served as Principal Trumpet in the Atlanta Symphony from 2006-2012, where he was awarded the first ever Mabel Dorn Reeder Honorary Chair, a $10,000 merit-based award for "excellence in musical artistry, leadership, collegiality and community engagement." He released "Trumpet Call", his first solo album, in 2011. Hooten has appeared as a soloist with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the United States Air Force Band, Keystone Winds, and the Richmond Symphony Orchestra. As an orchestral and chamber musician, he has performed with such ensembles as the National Symphony Orchestra, Harrisburg Symphony, Washington Symphonic Brass, Arlington Symphony, and the Baltimore Symphony. He has given master classes and recitals at Juilliard, Northwestern University, Indiana University, Mannes School of Music, San Francisco Conservatory, the Universities of Kentucky and Illinois, and many other locations through-out the United States. Hooten has appeared as a guest principal with the Saint Louis Symphony, at the Grand Teton Music Festival, and with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Hooten began his career in 2000 with a trumpet/cornet position in "The President's Own" United States Marine Band in Washington, D.C., where he was often a featured soloist. While with the Marine Band, Hooten won the 2nd trumpet audition with the Richmond (VA) Symphony, where he continued to perform through 2004. He went on to join the Indianapolis Symphony as Assistant Principal Trumpet for two years, and subsequently won the Principal Trumpet auditions for both the Houston and Atlanta Symphonies. Hooten has served on the faculty for The Aspen Music Festival, acting as a guest artist and teacher. While in Atlanta, he shared a studio with his wife Jennifer Marotta at Kennesaw State University, where they provided lessons, master classes, and performance coaching to a diverse range of professional and student musicians. A native of Tampa, Florida, he earned his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of South Florida and his Master of Music degree from Rice University. His primary trumpet teachers have included Armando Ghitalla, John Hagstrom, and Don Owen.