March 2006 Winner: Jessica Lordi
Jessica Lordi is a high school senior at Greater Latrobe Senior High School in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Her early interest in music began with piano lessons for several years before she changed to the trumpet in fourth grade. Currently, she studies with Kevin Eisensmith of Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Jessica received a scholarship from ITG to attend the 2005 conference in Bangkok, Thailand, where she placed first in the Youth Solo Competition. She was a semi-finalist at the 2005 National Trumpet Competition and Pennsylvania State Representative, Senior High Brass, for the Music Teacher's National Association competition, receiving an honorable mention at the Eastern Division. She has performed in county and district bands as well as the Indiana University of Pennsylvania Senior High Honors Band. In November of 2005, Jessica was awarded first place in the brass division competition at the Pennsylvania Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Conference held at Penn State University.
Jessica performs with the Westmoreland Youth Symphony Orchestra as principal trumpet and was selected as winner of the concerto competition in 2004. Her solo performance with the orchestra was Orlando Gibbons' Suite for Trumpet and Strings.
She also performs and solos with the Three Rivers Young Peoples Orchestra in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Active in her community and school music programs, Jessica performs in the school jazz and concert bands. As a volunteer, she performs at her church, nursing homes, the Salvation Army and at various community and school functions. She is a third year member of the Tri-M Music Honor Society.