March 2016 Winner: Forrest Johnston
In 2007, at age six, Forrest Johnston played his first notes on the trumpet and shortly thereafter played his rendition of Ode to Joy in an elementary school talent show contest. With the strong encouragement of family, friends, and his elementary school principal, Forrest followed that successful performance with years of dedicated practice and study.
In 2009, Forrest began a measure-by-measure preparation of the first movement of the Hummel Concerto in anticipation of the 2010 National Trumpet Competition. He finished as a semi-finalist, but more importantly, he received great encouragement and warm support from a range of aspiring and professional trumpet players who attended his performance.
In the later grades of elementary school, Forrest's trumpet studies advanced from the etudes of Sigmund Hering to those of Theo Charlier and Walter Smith, and, after much pleading with his father, from playing the B-flat trumpet exclusively to playing the piccolo and other higher-pitched trumpets. In 2011, he performed the Arutunian Concerto for NTC (finishing third), and in 2012 and 2013, he won first place playing the Bellini Concerto (on piccolo) and the Böhme Concerto. During his elementary school years, Forrest regularly participated in his school music program, but rather than playing trumpet (except in the annual talent shows), he played string bass and horn. He did, however, play trumpet with his father in a community adult wind ensemble.
Forrest has been a regular attendee at annual conferences of the International Trumpet Guild since 2011. He is thankful for the financial support he has received from ITG as a three-time conference scholarship recipient, and he has very much enjoyed the performance opportunities the Guild offer
s to young students through the annual ITG Youth Competition. In 2011, 2012, and 2013, Forrest performed Ketting's Intrada, the Neruda , and Höhne’s Slavonic Fantasy, respectively, in the conference competitions. More significant than the accolades that Forrest has accumulated through these competitions has been the continuous flow of encouragement and praise that he has received from the wide range of players who attend the ITG conference each year. A particular highlight for Forrest was his experience working with David and Miriam Hickman in a masterclass at the 2013 conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Beginning in seventh grade, Forrest began his participation in the National Symphony Orchestra's Youth Fellowship Program. In this program, he has played in various chamber ensembles, been coached by members of the NSO, and received the opportunity to perform in solo and ensemble contexts on the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage. He has also performed in the American Youth Philharmonic Orchestra program since 2014, where he has played in both the large orchestras and the chamber music program. In 2015, as an eighth grade student, Forrest returned to the National Trumpet Competition, where he finished in first place with a performance of the first movement of the Peskin Trumpet Concerto.
As a freshman at Langley High School in Great Falls, Virginia, Forrest currently plays in the school music program and is an avid participant on his school's cross country team. Forrest is honored to have been nominated for the Young Artist Award and very much appreciates everything the Guild has done for him over the years. As the March 2016 Young Artist Award recipient, he will receive a one-year complimentary membership to ITG. Congratulations, Forrest!