Nicole Desjardins, trumpet (2018). As a child, she loved hearing her grandmother play piano by ear. At the age of 12, all she wanted to play was the flute, but fate had a different idea. She picked up the trumpet, and her band teacher said, "Trumpet is for you!" She played all through high school. After graduating, she explored other directions and became a French immersion teacher, but always felt something was missing. During her university years she heard about a trumpet for sale. Music came back into her life! She joined the University of Winnipeg Downtown Jazz band. In addition having played with Classy Brass, she also played in the St. Charles Big Band and Westworth Winds Big Band. Fav quote - "Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, a charm to sadness and life to everything.” – attributed to Plato
Valerie Pearson, a founding member of Classy Brass on trombone and second trumpet (2015-2018). She took to piano some 70 years ago as a duck to swimming, then took up trumpet and trombone much later in life to savour the pleasures of playing with others. She has two music degrees in piano, and returned to the University of Manitoba at 42 to complete a degree in performance, while teaching school part-time. She has indulged her passion for brass music and plays in several community ensembles a week – concert bands, a dixieland band and the Murray Riddell Big Band. Her life has been enriched by the music and those performing (as well as listening). Fav quote - "Music is the outburst of the soul!"
Janet Driver, first trumpet (2017). She was born and raised in Montreal, started playing trumpet in high school and never stopped. With a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Dalhousie University in hand, she taught Band in the Halifax City and County School systems for five years. She then taught an additional 25 years in the St. Boniface/Louis Riel school systems. Retirement freed her up to do the things she loves – play in several musical ensembles and spend more time with her children and grandchildren. She will never forget the time she was a featured soloist on the Post Horn at the Nova Scotia International Tattoo. Fav quote - “The trumpet is king!”
