About the Artist
A Multi-Talented Musician
Amy Batchelder is an exceptional trumpet player and educator. During her studies at Central Washington University (CWU) and the Frost School of Music she received multiple opportunites to develop her performance career and distinct sound. While her education primarily focused on classical performance, Amy has years of experience performing in jazz big bands and jazz combos. One of her favorite experiences at CWU was forming the all-woman jazz combo, the Lady Cats, which performed around Washington State and was featured on KNKX Radio. As a classical artist, Amy has performed with the Florida Grand Opera, South Florida Symphony Orchestra, Yakima Symphony Orchestra, and Wenatchee Valley Symphony Orchestra. During her master's degree at Frost, Amy was honored as a Henry Mancini Institute Fellow and performed and recorded with the Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra throughout her degree. Amy has performed in chamber ensembles at international conferences including the William Adam International Trumpet Seminar, the International Trumpet Guild Conference, and the National Trumpet Competition. She earned several awards and honors as a trumpet soloist including first place at the Young Artist Concerto Competition in (Hermiston, OR), the Yamaha Young Performing Artist Honorable Mention, the Presser Award, and second place in the trumpet solo division at the International Women's Brass Conference.
In addition to her passion for performance, Amy has a profound ability to teach. She delights in discussing the pedagogy of playing the trumpet, hearing young trumpet players develop new skills, and helping to shape their growth over time. She has experience teaching middle school and high school students throughout the Pacific Northwest in both private lessons and group sectionals, and currently runs her own private studio in Miami. Amy makes lasting connections with students and educators and imparts skills including trumpet solo and small ensemble literature, performance preparation, music literacy, ensemble rehearsal techniques, marching band technique, and music theory. She also has extensive experience with elementary general music education and is a certified Orff Level 1 educator. During her undergrad, Amy worked closely with Ida Nason Aronica Elementary School in Ellensburg, WA, in partial fulfillment of her bachelor's degree in Music Education.
Amy is also tightly connected to her brass community as an advocate for young women brass musicians and a historian of the individuals and ensembles that made her education and performance career possible. As a woman brass player, she understands the unique challenges of being a woman in a male-dominated field. Amy's passion for gender studies and feminist musicology began in early undergrad and is the driving force for her involvement in the International Women's Brass Conference (IWBC). In 2021, Amy began volunteering for IWBC where she worked on social media projects, conducted interviews for the brass flexibilities podcast, published an article in the IWBC Noteworthy Newsletter (Winter 2022), and assisted as an in-person volunteer at the 2025 Conference in Hartford, CT. She has participated in the IWBC Mentorship program in 2024 and 2026 and made lasting connections with her mentors Toni LeFebvre, Jen Oliverio, and Susan Slaughter. Community and representation are vital to the success of young musicians, and it is Amy's hope to pass along her knowledge and experiences to continue to mentor the next generation of young musicians.
Who is Amy beyond the trumpet?
Like all musicians, Amy has a life outside of music! She knows the importance of a healthy balance between work and play, and she shares that with the many important people in her life. One of which is her adorable pet snake, Monty! But her biggest inspiration and support system is her husband, Jacob Batchelder. Jacob is an extraordinary jazz trumpet and EVI player, educator, and composer, and inspires Amy every day. She is also very close with her family back in Washington State and often travels to the Pacific Northwest to visit friends and family there.
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Amy is also talented visual artist and often uses digital and physical media to express herself outside of music. She is a big foodie and is always looking for a new restaurant to try! Most of all, Amy is kind, passionate, empathetic, adventurous, and loves life.
