Wynton Marsalis

Wynton Marsalis is a trumpeter, composer, and music instructor. Starting the trumpet at the tender age of six, Marsalis developed an early passion for music, studying classical music at school and jazz at home with his father. His dedication and talent led to an illustrious career, with Marsalis becoming the artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center and the musical director of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. His influence has been profound, with performances on every continent except Antarctica and the establishment of the Classic Jazz summer concert series at Lincoln Center, New York City, in 1987.

Throughout his career, Marsalis has worked tirelessly to promote classical and jazz music to young audiences. His educational endeavors include hosting the award-winning educational programs "Marsalis on Music" on public television and "Making the Music" on National Public Radio, both earning the George Foster Peabody Award. Aside from his musical performances, Marsalis has served as a cultural correspondent for "CBS This Morning," a member of the CuriosityStream Advisory Board, and the director of the Juilliard Jazz Studies program. In recognition of his contributions, Cornell University appointed him A.D. White Professor-at-Large in 2015.

As a composer, Marsalis has contributed to the modern classical music landscape, working with the Philadelphia Orchestra and composing and premiering several concertos. His Grammy-winning oratorio "Blood on the Fields" was the first jazz composition to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music. The breadth of Marsalis's work is reflected in his numerous awards, including nine Grammy Awards and the National Medal of Arts, as well as honorary degrees from various universities. His dedication to his craft has made him one of the most influential musicians of his time, with approximately seven million copies of his recordings sold worldwide.