Kurt Weiss

The American trumpeter and conductor Kurt Weiss can already look back on a forty-year career, during which he toured with the orchestras of Ray Charles, Artie Shaw and Glenn Miller. He has been affiliated with the PCC since 2001.  

Kurt received a bachelor’s in music from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester and a master’s in music from the Cincinnati College Conservatory. In the late 1980s he moved to New York, where he worked as a freelance musician in a bustling metropolis. There he played with big names such as Barry Harris, Jimmy Dorsey, Aretha Franklin, Maria Schneider, Nancy Sinatra, Natalie Cole and Donna Summer.
There he learned what the profession entails, he says: “As a musician, to survive in today’s climate one must be versatile and flexible. As a trumpet player, one must be consistent and reliable. And as a section player, reading, playing in tune and blending are important skills to have. As a jazz soloist, one must be imaginative, creative, melodic and have a personal sound. Sound is everything.” Besides being one of the trumpet teachers at PCC, Kurt gives lessons in improvisation, jazz arranging, big band conducting, theory, ear training and jazz history.  

Having been teaching for more than thirty years has helped him to grow not only as a musician but as a mentor as well, Kurt explains. “My experience as a travelling musician is something you cannot get from a book. In my opinion, students don’t only need data, but confidence in using the data and to grow both as a musician and as a human being. Along with these subjects, I teach my private students to be consistent and to develop a strong work ethic which is paramount to having a professional career in anything. Finally, learning how to practice is one of the most important tools a performing musician can acquire. Teaching never feels like work and music making is a joy. There is nothing better.”