Travis Peterson
Trumpet
Travis Peterson, joined the Utah Symphony as principal trumpet in 2013. He grew up on a dairy farm outside of the central Minnesota town of Milaca. He started playing trumpet at the age of 10 and joined the school band and jazz band. While in high school and during his first years in college, he was also a member of the drum and bugle corps, The Madison Scouts. After high school, he went on to study music education at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, where he studied with Edmund Cord. After finishing his degree at IU, he went on to receive his Graduate Diploma in performance from The New England Conservatory in Boston, MA. He studied with Ben Wright and Tom Rolfs, both of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He played with the New World Symphony in Miami Beach for 3 years under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas. Travis has performed with the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, National Repertory Orchestra, Spoleto USA Festival Orchestra, Artosphere Festival Orchestra, and Opera North. He has also played as guest assistant principal in the Grant Park orchestra in Chicago. He can regularly be seen performing with the String’s Festival in Steamboat Springs, Colorado during the summer under the direction of Michael Sachs, principal trumpet of the Cleveland Orchestra. Travis has performed several times with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, including their 3-week European Tour, and the Boston Pops and has also performed as guest principal trumpet with the San Francisco Symphony. Additionally, he has performed as guest associate principal trumpet with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Mr. Peterson is happily married to the love of his life.
Jeff Luke
Trumpet
A native of Oklahoma City, Jeff Luke holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Oklahoma City University and a Master of Arts degree from the New England Conservatory in Boston, where he studied trumpet with Timothy Morrison and was a member of the Honors Brass Quintet. Upon graduation, Mr. Luke joined the renowned Atlantic Brass Quintet, which allowed him to tour forty-nine states, as well fourteen countries in Europe, Asia, Central America, and the Middle East during his thirteen-year tenure. His teaching has included residencies at the Boston Conservatory, Boston University, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and the Tanglewood Institute. He has conducted master classes at Louisiana State University, Oklahoma City University, the University of Maryland, Harvard University, and the Royal College of Music in Manchester, England, among others. Mr. Luke has also been a fellow of the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, and has performed with the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops Orchestras, as well as Guest Principal Trumpet with the Louisville Orchestra. An avid arranger, Jeff's creations can be heard in the concerts and recordings of the Atlantic Brass Quintet, as well as the acclaimed Seraph Brass. Jeff has been a member of the Utah Symphony since 2003.
Brian Blanchard
Horn
A native of Texas, Brian Blanchard is Third Horn of the Utah Symphony. Before his university studies, Brian graduated from the Interlochen Arts Academy, where he met his wife and fellow horn player, Madelyn. Brian later graduated from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University in Chicago, where he studied with Dale Clevenger. During his undergraduate studies, he was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the training orchestra of the Chicago Symphony.
Brian began his professional career as Associate Principal Horn in the Kansas City Symphony. He then went on to be a member of the Saint Louis Symphony and later performed as Principal Horn of the North Carolina Symphony. The horn has taken Brian across the country as he has performed with the Houston, Dallas and Chicago Symphonies and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.
Brian has two children and loves mountain biking and riding his ski-bike on the slopes.
Sam Elliot
Trombone
Sam Elliot joined the Utah Symphony as Associate Principal Trombone in 2017 after two seasons as an acting member. Prior to joining the orchestra, he received his masters degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where he studied with Paul Welcomer, second trombone with the San Francisco Symphony. During his time there he had the honor of subbing with the orchestra. Sam was born in the San Francisco Bay area and grew up in Cupertino. He started trombone in 8th grade in order to play jazz. It was in his first year at college at the University of British Columbia where he was introduced to orchestral trombone playing by Greg Cox, second trombone with the Vancouver Symphony. His passion for orchestral music was awakened and he transferred to the University of Washington in Seattle where he studied with Stephen Fissel and Ko-Ichiro Yamamoto, the bass and principal trombones of the Seattle Symphony.
When he is not at Abravanel Hall he can be found at home practicing, home brewing, trying to pull the perfect shot of espresso on his manual La Pavoni Europiccola espresso machine, and traveling the world with the love of his life, Roxanne.
Jim Andrus
Tuba
Jim Andrus holds the position of Principal Tuba with the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra and Colorado Ballet Orchestra. He resides in Denver, CO and actively performs in orchestras along Colorado's front range and throughout the Intermountain West.
Jim received his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Utah where he studied with former Utah Symphony Principal Tubist, Gary Ofenloch. He is currently completing a Master of Music degree at the University of Denver where he studies with former New York Philharmonic Principal Tubist, Warren Deck. Jim performs exclusively on Melton-Meinl Weston instruments.
