Here in the trumpet section, we embody extremely important characteristics such as volume, infallibility, perfection, faultlessness, supremacy, and (of course) modesty. Our mastery of these traits as well as our unique talents worked in ~harmony~ to win us the Gross Cup for the 2017-18 Section Wars Challenges. We proudly brave heat, cold, ants, mud, rain, snow, and whatever else NC weather throws at us without complaint. While some people choose not to play trumpet (it’s ok, we all make mistakes sometimes), we believe in second chances, so we’ve even helped wayward woodwind players see the light and pick up a trumpet for the first time. It’s changed their life and it will change yours as well.
Should you choose to pick up a trumpet along with our own director and assistant director, Jeff Au and Leigh-Ann Lethco, you will be welcomed into a tight-knit group that is committed to firing up the Cameron Crazies with confident, high-quality sound. As we continue to grow in size, we also are growing in power. Are you prepared for the pure glory that is the trumpet section of the Duke University Marching Band? Fear not, for we can always be found leading the band to victory.
Our section enjoys partaking in the finer things in life, such as cheering on our basketball teams from the best row in Cameron, going to tournaments near and far (destinations have included Greenville, SC; Brooklyn, NY; New Orleans, LA; Pittsburgh, PA; and Omaha, NE), and bonding outside of band functions. We enhance our section camaraderie with group dinners, sending memes in the group chat, and the glorious sounds of the stand tune High Hopes (arranged by section leader Nathaniel). The trumpets are obviously the most phenomenal group of people in the band, and we think we’re pretty cool in life and stuff too. If you have any questions about the DUMB trumpet section, please don’t hesitate to contact our section leaders, Mike, Nathaniel, and Drew! We will be happy to talk with you and convince you that we are, in fact, a worthy group of musicians and friends to join!
Trumpets in our natural habitat: Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium. When we needed him most, our director Jeff Au (right) put on a uniform and marched with us during halftime so there wouldn’t be an empty spot on the field. We asked the guy with the cool polo (left) for a picture because we liked his shirt. We don’t know if he plays trumpet, but we think he should.
Trumpets at the UNC game. Trumpets were present and played particularly loud and the team won. Correlation? There certainly seems to be one.
2021-2022 trumpets at the Duke Gardens for our end-of-year trumpet picnic. Some grad students were throwing a frisbee and it landed in the pond behind us. We saved the day using our ingenuity (and our dashing good looks) to fish it out.
2018-2019 trumpets at the end-of-year bandquet
Trumpets bringing their unique spirit and dedication to band camp Color Wars
2022-2023 Section Leaders:
- Drew Fate-Bolognone: andrew.fatebolognone@duke.edu
- Mike Keohane: michael.keohane@duke.edu
- Nathaniel Maxwell: nathaniel.maxwell@duke.edu
2020-2022 Section Leaders:
- Carly VanDewark: carly.vandewark@duke.edu
- Mike Keohane: michael.keohane@duke.edu
- Nathaniel Maxwell: nathaniel.maxwell@duke.edu
2019-2020 Section Leaders:
- Max Issokson: max.issokson@duke.edu
- Alex Linares: alexandra.linares@duke.edu
