One of Armando Ghitalla's last students, Zebediah Upton, spent a season as Principal Trumpet in the Beijing Symphony Orchestra. In his impressive roster of teachers Upton lists, alongside Ghitalla, Seymour Rosenfeld, Marie Speziale, Robert Sullivan, James Wilt and Thomas Freas.

Upton studied Trumpet Performance at Rice University Houston, Texas, where he was a student of Ghitalla until the latter's death in December 2001. He graduated in 2003 with a Bachelor of Music and in 2005 with his Master of Music. In 2005 he was also a recipient of the Voisin Trumpet Award at the Tanglewood Music Center where he was a Fellow, his position funded by the Armando Ghitalla Foundation.

Although now back in the USA following the completion of his contracted season, Zebediah Upton will be returning in August to record Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra with the Beijing Symphony Orchestra.

Website:
Beijing Symphony Orchestra (in Chinese and English)