NEWS

6.24.09-Just played the Rochester Jazz Festival this past week. INCREDIBLE! Congrats to Marc Iacona and John Nugent for putting on their biggest festival yet. I'm glad I was able to be a part of it. Next up is Mackinack Island, MI this Friday to play at The Grand Hotel. Four hour Dixieland marathons here I come!

6.8.09-The Tony Awards were a blast! Thanks to all who tuned in and watched the performance of HAIR. If you missed the show, just click HERE. I even met Anne Hathaway at the after party!

6.5.09-The summer is off to a great start! Yesterday, I set foot onto the stage of Radio City Music Hall for the first time. This Sunday I will be performing at the Tony Awards on CBS with the trumpet section of the Broadway musical, HAIR! To add even more excitement to the day, Thursday evening was spent performing at the wedding reception of NY Jets owner, Woody Johnson. About half way through the first set at the Four Seasons Restaurant, in walked Donald Trump, his beautiful wife Melania Knauss, Michael Douglas, and Catherine Zeta Jones! The band I was performing with was also incredible(Ulysses Owens on drums, Aaron Diehl on piano, and Yasushi Nakamura on bass). It was definitely a night to remember.

5.16.09- Finally! I just finished my first year in the masters program at Juilliard. Looking forward to a summer filled with performing, practicing, traveling, writing, recording, and enjoing the sun!

4.27.09- Tom Hanks Chaplin Awards Today was incredible! I had a chance to perform at the Charlie Chaplin Film Award Ceremony honoring Tom Hanks. While the celebrities dined, I played with a Juilliard quartet. Some of the top names I had a chance to mingle with and speak to were Regis Philbin, Nigel Barker, Charlize Theron, Geoffrey Rush, Adrien Brody, and Eli Manning. The best part of the night for me was getting a photo with Charlize! I'll be sure to post it soon.

4.23.09- Allen Room Today, Juilliard pianist, Kris Bowers, and myself were asked to test new sound equipment in the Allen Room for Jazz At Lincoln Center. It was an informal soundcheck so that the engineers could sample a brand new sound board in the room. If you've never seen the Allen Room, check out the link above. It is a gorgeous hall over-looking Columbus Circle. XM/Sirius radio also recorded our sound check and gave us some high quality sound clips to keep for our own use. Here is a link to a tune from the session!

Sandu

Recorded in the Allen Room with Kris Bowers on piano.

3.8.09- New Orleans Trip 2009 This year I had the opportunity to join The Juilliard New Orleans Project Team where we spent our spring break volunteering to help the hurricane devastated community of New Orleans. It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. I can't remember the last time I spent an entire week being completely captivated by the tasks at hand. All that mattered to me was the moment and the great people I was working with, teaching, and performing for. Thank you to all of my friends and family who donated to the Art Reach organization to make our trip possible! Please check out the link to our blog. It gives a detailed description with photos of each day of our trip.

ABOUT MICHAEL COTTONE

Rochester born musician Mike Cottone developed a love for music at a very young age. At the age of 10, he was given a chance to begin playing the trumpet where he made rapid progress on the instrument. Upon reaching high school, he began to explore the world of jazz thanks to his band director, Mr. Daniel McMurray. Through McMurray's advice and inspiration, Mike was exposed to many trumpet greats such as Lee Morgan, Clifford Brown, Miles Davis, and Roy Hargrove. By his junior year in high school, Mike was beginning to develop his own soulful sound and passion for the music.

Deciding to begin a career in music, Mike auditioned at The Eastman School of MusicThe Eastman School of Music in his hometown where he was awarded the prestigious Howard Hanson Scholarship, and the Rochester International Jazz Festival Scholarship. Mike began his studies as a double degree student in Jazz Performance and Music Education. It was there that Mike honed his talents under the direction of trumpet teachers Clay Jenkins of the Clayton Hamilton Orchestra, and Rochester Philharmonic Trumpeter, Douglas Prosser. While playing in the Eastman New Jazz Ensemble, and the Downbeat award winning Eastman Jazz Ensemble, Mike shared the stage with jazz giants such as Clark Terry, Slide Hampton, John Hollenbeck, Peter Erskine, Rufus Reid, and Marian McPartland. During his time at and in between semesters at The Eastman School, Mike kept busy performing for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, The The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, MI, as well as various venues in and around Rochester.

Upon completion of his education degree at The Eastman School of Music, Mike spent a year teaching in the Greece, Spencerport, and Rush-Henrietta School Districts along with conducting private lessons. In 2008, Mike was a featured clinician and performer for the Rochester International Jazz Festival.

Mike is currently working to complete his Masters degree at The Juilliard School where he studies privately with trumpet guru Chris Jaudes. During the 2008-2009 school year, Mike has studied and performed with jazz masters such as Benny Golson, Terence Blanchard, Ron Blake, Ted Nash, Carl Allen, Ben Wolfe, Ray Drummond, and Joe Wilder.

To see where Mike is performing next, click the calendar link above and don't hesitate to contact him.