Dr. Ross Hoksbergen
Dr. Ross Hoksbergen is currently the director of Music at Union Church of Cupertino, director of the Union Choir, and is co-founder of Cupertino Music Academy.
Ross' musical journey began at a young age with piano lessons in elementary school and trumpet and trombone lessons in middle school. He participated in many types of musical ensembles, including bands and orchestra, jazz bands, choir, marching bands and brass quintet, giving him a wide variety of musical exposure, and creating a lifelong love for music.
During his senior year of high school, Hoksbergen toured the East Coast of the United States with the Hope College Symphonette Chamber Orchestra, featured as piccolo trumpet soloist on 'Let the Bright Seraphim'. He performed Clark's Carnival of Venice at a local talent show and was selected with the highest score to the All-State Concert Band. Ross was a member of the tennis and golf teams in high school, and has completed the PGA tours PAT testing for golf professionals.
Dr. Hoksbergen began his collegiate studies at Western Michigan University, studying with Dr. Stephen Jones and Scott Thornburg. He received a full-tuition scholarship to perform and study with the Russell Brown Brass Quintet, meeting five times each week to study and rehearse chamber music. He performed with the Marching Band, Symphonic Bands, Jazz Band, and Symphony Orchestra. Ross also toured Brazil with the Western Michigan University Symphonic Band, and was a featured trumpet player on the encore- Bugler's Holiday.
Dr. Hoksbergen then completed a Master's Degree in Music from the University of South Florida in 2009, studying with Dr. Jay Coble. He was a graduate teaching assistant for World Music, Music of the USA, and for the Trumpet Studio, helping teach undergraduate lessons. He was a semi-finalist for the National Trumpet Competition in Fairfax, Virginia and toured Italy and France for two weeks with the University of South Florida Jazz Band, performing at the Umbria Jazz Festival. He was then selected as the principal trumpet for London's 'Carl Rosa Opera', as they toured the United States.
Dr. Hoksbergen then continued his studies at Michigan State University, completing the D.M.A. in Music Performance, under the direction of Rich Illman. At MSU, he was a member of the faculty brass ensemble, the Beaumont Brass Quintet. He was also a member of the Lansing Symphony for two years, and was a frequent guest of the Grand Rapids Symphony. In 2010, he traveled to Sydney, Australia, to perform at the International Trumpet Guild Conference with the MSU Trumpet Choir.
In 2014, Dr. Hoksbergen joined with the Axiom Brass Quintet as a featured performer at the APAP conference in New York City. While on tour, the group also performed in colleges, universities, and schools across the West Coast, presenting new and classical works for brass quintet.