Nicholas Recktenwald began playing trumpet at the age of four, and made his first public solo performances with the Louisville Orchestra Brass Quintet at the Wilderness Road Senior Center and Meyers Middle School, as part of the Louisville Orchestra’s community engagement collaboration with Louisville’s Metro Parks Program. He also soloed with the Louisville Orchestra’s Jazz Quintet, in community concerts at Shelby Park and Norton Commons.

Nicholas is the 2018 Gheens Foundation Great Expectation Young Artist, soloing with the Louisville Orchestra. Nicholas is also the 2018 second place winner in the National Trumpet Competition (NTC). The NTC awarded Nicholas full tuition to attend the Interlochen Center for the Arts summer music program. In 2016, Nicholas was the winner of the University of Louisville High School Solo Trumpet Competition, soloing with the University of Louisville Wind Ensemble.

As a student at Bloom Elementary School, Nicholas joined St. Patrick’s Middle School band for two years; was principle trumpet in the University of Louisville’s Middle School Summer Wind Band Institute; won first trumpet in the 8th grade JCPS All-County Band; and performed as Amahl in Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors at Second Presbyterian Church.

While attending Noe Middle School, Nicholas was successful in both trumpet and voice, winning distinguished awards at the respective KMEA solo and ensembles assessments each year.  Nicholas also formed the Ragtags Dixieland Band with other Noe Middle School Students. This group was a self-rehearsed ensemble, which performed in various venues around Louisville and with the Rascals of Ragtyme Band, on occasion.

As a junior at the Youth Performing Arts School, Nicholas is principal trumpet in the
wind ensemble, lead trumpet in the jazz band, and a tenor in the Chamber Choir. Nicholas has played lead trumpet in YPAS productions of Shrek the Musical, The Drowsy Chaperone, and in the recent production of Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies in which he was also band leader and vocalist. He is in his seventh season with the Louisville Youth Orchestra, where he is currently principal trumpet in the Symphony Orchestra.

Nicholas has participated in various summer programs including: University of
Louisville’s Wind Band Institute; Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshop; Indiana University’s Summer Music Clinic; University of Texas at Austin’s Summer Band Camp; the Canadian Brass Summer Chamber Music Workshop at the University of Illinois; the Trumpet Institute at the University of Kentucky. For the past two summers, he has been a member of the National Youth Orchestra 2, where he performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Kimmel Center and Carnegie Hall.

Nicholas studies trumpet with Dr. James Recktenwald, and studies jazz trumpet with Dr. Ansyn Banks. He enjoys playing in his jazz combo, Spur of the Moment, which has performed in various venues around Louisville. He also enjoys composing, having won the 2015 Award of Excellence in the PTA Reflections State competition for Music Composition.