DECORAH, Iowa – Steven Hendrickson, principal trumpet of the National Symphony Orchestra and a graduate of Luther College, led two public master classes at Luther College on Thursday, April 15: an orchestral brass master class in the Recital Hall of the Luther Center for Faith and Life, and a trumpet master class in the Orchestra Room of the Jenson-Noble Music Hall. Earlier in the day, Hendrickson worked with student musicians at Decorah High School and Decorah Middle School. His instruction sessions in Decorah were made possible by support from Kephart's Music Center and Conn-Selmer, and were coordinated by Jim Fritz, director of bands at Decorah High School, and music instructor Liz Fritz.

Hendrickson graduated from Luther in 1973 with a degree in music and philosophy. He has studied with some of the world's leading brass players, including Adolf Herseth, William Scarlett, and Arnold Jacobs. Before joining the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C. in 1982, he was a leading freelance musician in Chicago, performing with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Lyric Opera, and the Chicago Brass Ensemble, while working as a broker on the Chicago Stock Exchange. He has appeared as soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra performing Bach, Vivaldi, Arutunian, Persichetti, and, most recently, the Haydn Trumpet Concerto. He is active in the Washington area as a recitalist and chamber musician and serves on the faculty of the music department at the University of Maryland.

Source: Jerry Johnson, Director of Public Information, Luther College,