Michael Sachs joined The Cleveland Orchestra as Principal Trumpet in 1988. Praised by The New York Times for his “achingly poignant” sound and by Cleveland’s Plain Dealer for his “seemingly limitless technical ability,” he is recognized internationally as a leading soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, teacher, author and clinician. Mr. Sachs is the longest serving Principal Trumpet in the history of The Cleveland Orchestra.

 

Michael Sachs’ frequent solo appearances with The Cleveland Orchestra include the world premiere of John Williams’ Concerto for Trumpet, Michael Hersch’s Night Pieces for Trumpet and Orchestra, and Matthias Pintscher’s Chute d’Etoiles; he was also the featured soloist in the United States and New York premieres of Hans Werner Henze’s Requiem. In addition to his solo turns with The Cleveland Orchestra, Mr. Sachs has appeared as guest soloist with numerous additional ensembles such as the Houston Symphony Orchestra, the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, the Auckland (New Zealand) Philharmonia, and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, among others. His orchestral discography includes over 175 recorded works with The Cleveland Orchestra and a critically acclaimed recital disc with organist Todd Wilson, Live from Severance Hall, which was released in 2005.

 

Since 2015, Michael Sachs has served as Music Director of the Strings Music Festival in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. In addition to conducting the festival’s chamber orchestra, his featured performances are a staple of each year’s programming. Mr. Sachs was a lead artistic administrator and performer on the 2014 National Brass Ensemble Gabrieli CD recording project and subsequent 2015 concert in Chicago’s Orchestra Hall that also featured a new work by John Williams, written for the NBE project.

 

Also a dedicated pedagogue, Mr. Sachs serves as Head of the Trumpet Department at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Lecturer of Trumpet at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music. In addition to serving on the faculties of leading summer festivals, including Aspen Music Festival, Blekinge International Brass Academy, Domaine Forget, Eastern Music Festival, Grand Tetons Music Festival, National Brass Symposium, National Orchestral Institute, Summer Brass Institute, and Summit Brass, Mr. Sachs regularly presents master classes and workshops at conservatories and major universities throughout the United States, Europe and Asia as a clinician for the Conn-Selmer Company (makers of Bach trumpets). At the invitation of Sir Georg Solti, he served as Principal Trumpet and Instructor at the Solti Orchestral Project at Carnegie Hall. Michael Sachs has published seven books to date: Daily Fundamentals for the Trumpet, Mahler: Symphonic Works – Complete Trumpet Parts (Vol. I-III), published by International Music, 14 Duets for Trumpet and Trombone (co-authored with Principal Trombone of the New York Philharmonic Joseph Alessi), The Orchestral Trumpet, a comprehensive book and CD overview of standard orchestral trumpet repertoire, and Practice Sequences for The Orchestral Trumpet, published by Carl Fischer and Theodore Presser. Mr. Sachs was also extensively involved in the acoustic design and testing for the creation of the new 190 Bach Stradivarius C Trumpet and 25M leadpipe.

 

Prior to joining The Cleveland Orchestra, Mr. Sachs was a member of the Houston Symphony Orchestra and served on the faculty of Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. Originally from Santa Monica, California, Michael Sachs attended the University of California at Los Angeles, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History before continuing his studies at The Juilliard School of Music. His former teachers include Ziggy Elman, Mark Gould, Anthony Plog, and James Stamp. For more information, please visit www.MichaelSachs.com.