Jay Villella, Trumpet

Jay is a full-time professional trumpet player and an adjunct professor of music at Chatham University in Pittsburgh. He is a founding member of the Pittsburgh Chamber Brass and (formerly) of the internationally acclaimed Window Trumpet Quartet. Jay has also performed on the baroque trumpet with the early music and historical performance ensemble Chatham Baroque.

Jay is a performer and board member with the Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh. Jay is a member of the International Trumpet Guild and the American Federation of Musicians Locals 86-242 and 24. A former instructor at Mercyhurst University, he has instructed dozens of students of all levels and coached musical groups and classrooms in several states. Some of his former college students are currently performing professionally, and his most recent high-school student was the PMEA top ranked trumpet player in Pennsylvania for 2021. Jay has taught masterclasses at Youngstown State University, the University of Akron, Gettysburg College, the Eastman School of Music, Kent State University, Cleveland State University, and the College of Wooster. For the 2025-2026 academic year, he will be teaching at Youngstown State University in Ohio.

Jay holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music and Yale University where he studied with James Thompson and Allan Dean, respectively. He was a recipient of full scholarships to both schools, and was granted the Sidney Mear trumpet award and Performer's Certificate from Eastman. Jay was a fellow at the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado and chamber music festival in Norfolk, CT. He has also performed at the music festival in Chautauqua, NY and was a three-time participant at the prestigious Center for Advanced Musical Studies at Chosen Vale. Jay has studied with and performed in masterclasses for many of the leading trumpet players throughout the world including Thomas Stevens, Clément Saunier, Jeroen Berwaerts, Ray Mase, and trumpet players affiliated with orchestras including the Cleveland Orchestra, Metropolitan Opera, Boston Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, and Pittsburgh Symphony.

In addition to playing professionally and teaching, he was a real estate agent from 2014-2022, serving hundreds of clients and negotiating almost $50 million in sales and he is a volunteer bugler for Bugles Across America, a non-profit organization providing live performances of "Taps" for veteran burial ceremonies.

Equipment List:

Yamaha Custom Artist Model YTR-9445NYL-YS III C Trumpet

Yamaha Custom YTR-9636L Eb/D Trumpet

Yamaha Custom YTR-9835L Bb/A Piccolo Trumpet

Yamaha Custom YTR-9910 C Piccolo Trumpet

Yamaha Neo YCR-8335 Bb Cornet

Yamaha Custom YFH-8310Z Bb Flugelhorn

Shires Model AF Bb Trumpet

Weimann Passion Rotary C Trumpet

Scherzer Rotary Piccolo Trumpet

Norwich 4-Hole Baroque Trumpet in A/B/C/D 415 and 440

A variety of Bach, Toshi, Curry, Dennis Wick, and Vennture Custom mouthpieces