Dr. Ramon Vasquez
Brass Caption Head

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BIO: Ray's drum corps experience includes marching for three seasons and aging out with the Phantom Regiment (1991-93) as well as serving on staff with such groups as the Phantom Regiment, Blue Stars, Minnesota Brass Inc., Spirit Drum & Bugle Corps, and Santa Clara Vanguard. This will be Ray's second season as Brass Caption Head with the Colts.

He is an active member of the International Trumpet Guild and is now residing in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His involvement with the ITG has led him to serve as chair of two jazz solo competitions, the 2009 composition contest, as well as performing at the 2008 Bill Chase Tribute Concert at the ITG Conference held at the Banff Centre in Banff, Canada.

Ray was a featured performer at the 2009 University Professors Spotlight Concert and served as a clinician for the 2005 conference in Bangkok, Thailand, and 2011 conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

His involvement with music education can be seen with the clinics he has presented to the Music Educators Associations of Minnesota and Alabama as well as at colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. The topics of discussion have ranged from brass quintet literature for the high school students, trumpet fundamentals, and the benefits of the drum corps activity on brass playing.

As a performer, Ray has shared the stage with Claudio Roditti, Shirley Jones, Barry Manilow, Arturo Sandoval, Chaka Khan, Sheena Easton, the Temptations, the Four Tops, Jiggs Whigham, Ernie Watts, Dennis DiBlasio, Phil Woods and Peter Erskine.

Ray earned his bachelor's degree in music performance from Northwestern State University, a master's in music performance from the University of North Texas, and his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Minnesota.

His primary teachers include Galindo Rodriguez, Dr. Leonard Candelaria, Keith Johnson, Dr. David Baldwin and Manny Laureano. Ray has also served on the faculties at Auburn University and the University of Minnesota Duluth.

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