Marissa Benedict

About Marissa

Marissa Benedict is the Professor of Trumpet at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and her current studio consists of 17 students: 13 undergraduates and four graduate students. She continues to recruit and give master classes and special guest performances throughout the Twin Cities and across the U.S. and remains very active in the community. Before leaving for Minnesota, she was a freelance trumpet player in Los Angeles for over 35 years. She was the first woman trumpet player to record on both the Sony MGM and Warner Brothers scoring stages and can be heard on over 180 motion picture and television recordings and soundtracks. Beyond Lip Service: A Framework for Brass Fundamentals is Benedict’s first book, released in 2022 and published by Carl Fischer. In July of 2023, she released a digital CD(EP), Continental Drift and in September of 2023, Homage, a CD featuring eight of the top Los Angeles Trumpet Players.

Benedict is a Yamaha performing artist and educator.

I strive to help my students develop the skills necessary to pursue a career in trumpet performance or trumpet/brass pedagogy. I do not believe in a “one-size-fits-all” approach to teaching or learning. As such, I cater my teaching to the individual student and their resultant individual needs. Although I strongly emphasize the fundamentals of trumpet playing as a necessary component of my instruction, I also make sure that all genres of music are explored and performed. I am a strong believer that many attributes make up a great musician. It is not always about the ability to play the instrument but about commitment, having a strong work ethic, having a good attitude and being able to work with others. I teach my students that practice is very important and that it doesn’t just consist of practicing their trumpet. It can consist of playing the instrument, listening to other artists perform, listening to recordings of all genres, and going to live concerts whenever possible.