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 began his studies with piano lesson from his mother. He became interested in the sounds of the brass instruments in middle school after listening to his father and uncles play trumpet and trombone, and began playing the cornet (similar to a trumpet) in 6th grade.
During his senior year of high school, Hoksbergen toured the East Coast of the United States with the Hope College Symphonette Chamber Orchestra. He performed Clark's Carnival of Venice at a local talent show and was selected to the All-State Concert Band. Ross was a member of the tennis and golf teams in high school, and participated in youth group, fishing, and enjoying the summer in his hometown of Holland, Michigan.
Ross began his collegiate studies at Western Michigan University, studying with Dr. Stephen Jones and Scott Thornburg. He won a full-tuition scholarship to perform and study with the Russell Brown Brass Quintet. 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 featured on the encore selection Bugler's Holiday.
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 the Trumpet Studio while studying at USF, and was a semi-finalist for the National Trumpet Competition in Fairfax, Virginia. He toured Italy and France for two weeks with the University of South Florida Jazz Band, performing at the Umbria Jazz Festival. He was selected as the principal trumpet for London's 'Carl Rosa Opera', as they toured the United States for six weeks.
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 toured the U.S.A., with the Axiom Brass Quintet. Axion Brass was a featured performer at APAP, a presenters conference in New York City. While on tour, the group performed in colleges, universities, and schools across the country, presenting new and classical works for brass quintet.