The natural trumpeter, David Kjar was recently hailed by the The Washington Post as “a rare treat to hear…bringing a singing tone and impressive virtuosity.”
David has performed and recorded with early music ensembles such as La Petite Bande (Brussels), Concerto Köln (Cologne), Il Fondamento (Brussels), and REBEL (New York) working with early music specialists such as Sigiswald Kuijken, Rene Jacobs, Reinhard Goebel, Paul Dombrecht, and Richard Egarr. He has made tours throughout Europe, South America, and the United States. David has also appeared on Minnesota Public Radio and American Public Radio’s Performance Today with Fred Child.

David, as a member of Quintus, was a finalist in the 2002 Johann Heinrich Schmelzer Competition in Austria and has been featured at the Innsbruck Alte Musik Festival, Utrecht Early Music Festival, Bach en Combrailles Festival (France) as well as the Barcelona Early Music Festival.

David teaches natural trumpet at the Festival International de Musica Colonial Brasileira e Musica Antiga in Juiz de Fora, Brazil. He holds a Bachelors and Masters from the Department of Early Music and Performance Practice at the Royal Conservatory of Music in The Hague, The Netherlands. He is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Music at Boston University.

In the 2007/2008 season David will make solo appearances with the New York ensemble REBEL and Minneapolis’ Lyra Baroque Orchestra. He will also perform throughout Holland and Belgium on the Netwerk Series with the ensemble Quintus and travel to Israel to solo with the Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra.

Curriculum Vitae

Formal Education:

2006- Doctorate of Musical Arts, Historical Performance Practice, Boston
(in progress) University, College of Fine Arts, Peter Sykes, Advisor
Full Tuition Dean’s Award

2003 Master of Music Performance, Department of Historical Performance Practice, Royal Conservatory of Music in The Hague, The Netherlands, Susan Williams, Teacher

2001 Bachelor of Music Performance, Department of Historical Performance Practice, Royal Conservatory of Music in The Hague, The Netherlands, Susan Williams, Teacher

2000 Bachelor of Music Performance, Modern Trumpet, Royal Conservatory of Music in The Hague, The Netherlands, Huug Steketee, Teacher

1995 Bachelor of Music Performance with an emphasis in Jazz studies, Modern Trumpet, University of Northern Iowa, USA, Randy Grabowski, Teacher

2007 Lyra Baroque Orchestra, Dir. Jacques Ogg, Minneapolis
Trumpet Concertos and Sonatas by Torelli, Corelli, and Gabrielli

2007 Rebel, Dir. Jörg-Michael Schwarz, New York City
Concerti, Sonatas & Suites for Trumpet and Violins
Performances: New York City, Washington DC, Kansas City and Houston

Reviewed October 9, 2007 by The Washington Post
“And it was a rare treat to hear David Kjar on the valveless "natural" trumpet, bringing a singing tone and impressive virtuosity to this diabolically difficult instrument.”

2007 Aradia Baroque Ensemble, Dir. Kevin Mallon, Toronto

2007 Harvard Baroque Orchestra, Cambridge, Massachusetts

2006-present Rebel, Dir. Jörg-Michael Schwarz, New York City,

2005-present Les Agremens, Dir. Guy Van Waas, Belgium

2001-present Il Fondamento, Dir. Paul Dombrecht, Rene Jacobs, Brussels

2004 Concerto Köln, Bang on a Can, Daniel Reuss, New York City,

2004-present Academy of the Begijnhof, Richard Egarr, Amsterdam

2004 Musica Antiqua Köln, Reinhard Goebel, Cologne

2004 Collegium Cartusianum, Peter Neumann, Cologne

2003-present Rheinische Kantorei, Hermann Max, Cologne

2003-present Weser Renaissance Ensemble, Manfred Cordes, Bremen

2004-present The International Orchestra of The Hague, Iceland

2004 Ex Tempore, Florian Heyerick, Belgium

2002-present Festival Internacional de Musica Antiga Baroque Orchestra, Dir. Luis Santos, Brazil

2002-present Quintus, The Hague, The Netherlands (ensemblequintus.com)
Ensemble for Natural Trumpet, Soprano, and Basso-Continuo

2003-present Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra, Israel

2003 Ensemble William Byrd, Graham O’Reilly, Paris

2002 La Petite Bande, Sigiswald Kuijken, Brussels

2001 Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie, Bremen

2001 Combattimento Consort Amsterdam, Jan Willem de Vriend, Amsterdam

1999-2001 Oregon Bach Festival Orchestra, Helmut Rilling, Eugene, Oregon

1998 Oregon Festival of American Music, James Paul, Eugene, Oregon

1995-98 Skyline Brass Quintet, Roseburg, Oregon
Awarded a three-year NEA/Chamber Music America Rural Residency in Roseburg, Oregon.

1994 Waterloo/Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra, Waterloo, Iowa
2nd Trumpet

1993-1995 Ohio Light Opera Orchestra, Wooster, Ohio

1993 American Wind Symphony Orchestra, Robert Boudreau, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

2006-present Online Facilitator Boston University Distance Education
-Introduction to American Music
-Foundations of Music Education II: Sociology and Psychology

2002-present Natural Trumpet Teacher Festival International de Musica Colonial Brasileira e Musica Antiga, Juiz de Fora, Brazil
An early music festival for university students where I teach the literature, style, and technique of the Baroque trumpet as well as historical performance practice.

2006 Faculty Brass Teacher, Munich International School
Starnberg, Germany

2006 Faculty Brass Teacher, Carl Orff School of Andechs, Germany

1998-2005 Faculty Brass Teacher, American School of The Hague
Wassenaar, The Netherlands

1995-1998 Chamber Music America Rural Residency Program (NEA)
Skyline Brass Quintet
Roseburg, Oregon, USA
A fulltime residency funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and Chamber Music America. In conjunction with the Skyline Brass, my responsibilities were to organize and coach chamber groups, teach private lessons, give lectures on the history and performance of music, initiate a chamber music recital series, direct a jazz band, and offer educational performances in schools.

1996-1998 Teaching Assistant - Trumpet, University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon, USA
My duties included teaching undergraduate trumpet students and performing in the faculty brass quintet.

1995-1998 Umpqua Community College
Ensemble in Residence, Skyline Brass, Roseburg, Oregon, USA
Taught trumpet lessons, coached chamber music, and lectured on various genres of music.

2006-2007 Rebel and Trinity Choir, New York City, Dir. Jörg-Michael Schwarz
-Lord Nelson Messe, Joseph Haydn, Hannsler Classics
-Heiligen Messe, Joseph Haydn, Hannsler Classics

2006 Il Fondamento, Brussels, Dir. Paul Dombrecht,
-Instrumental music of Juan Crisostomo de Arriaga, Fuga Libera
-Telemann Christmas Cantatas, Fuga Libera

2002-2007 Orquestra Barroca, Brazil, Dir. Luis Otavio Santos
-Sinfonie 101 “London“, J. Haydn, Pro Musica
-Sinfonie 34 and 38 “Prague“, W. A. Mozart, Pro Musica,
-Erfreut euch, Ihr Herzen BWV 66, JS Bach, Pro-Musica,
(“Disco de Ouro“ Brazilian CD of the Year 2005, Diaposon Brasil)
-Tonet Ihr Pauken, BWV 214, DVD recording, Pro-Musica,
-Missa a 8 vozes instrumentos, Andre da Silva Gomes, Pro-Musica,
-Ouverture BWV 1068, Magnificat BWV 243, JS Bach, Pro-Musica,

2003 Reinische Kantorei, Cologne, Dir. Hermann Max
-Die vier letzten Dinge, Joseph Eybler, CPO

2001 Combattimento Consort Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Dir. Jan Willem De Vriend
-La Resurrezione, G. F. Handel, Challenge Classics

1999 Oregon Bach Festival Orchestra, Eugene, Oregon
Dir. Helmuth Rilling, Credo, Krzysztof Penderecki, Hannsler Classics
2000 Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance

1999-2000 Nederlands Bach Collegium, Elburg, Holland
Nun ist das Heil und die Kraft BWV 63, JS Bach, Brilliant Classics
Christen, ätzet diesen Tag BWV 50, JS Bach, Brilliant Classics

1998 Skyline Brass Quintet, Roseburg Oregon , Caged
Music of Cheetham, Ewald, Maske, and Ewazen
Four star review, Ron Lipka, International Trumpet Guild, Oct., 1999

2006 Lecture given at Longy School of Music, Cambridge, MA
An Investigation of Baroque Pedagogy and its Application to Modern Historical Performance Practice

2007 Finalist in 2007 National Trumpet Competition, Natural Trumpet

2005 “Disco de Ouro” Brazilian CD of the Year 2005, Diaposon Brazil
Orquestra Barroca, Brazil, Luis Otavio Santos, Conductor
Erfreut euch, Ihr Herzen BWV 66, JS Bach

2003 Prins Bernhard Cultuurfond grant recipient, Amsterdam
Awarded grant to work with the Bremen trumpet maker, Daniel Kunst.

2002 Finalists in the Johann Heinrich Schmelzer Competition, Austria, Ensemble Quintus

2000 2000 Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance
Oregon Bach Festival Orchestra, Eugene, Helmuth Rilling, Conductor
Credo, Krzysztof Penderecki, Hannsler Classics (July, 1999)