Internationally renowned trumpet soloist Allen Vizzutti will headline this year’s Wartburg Trumpet Festival.

 The invitational festival for middle school and high school trumpet players will include a guest artist recital on Thursday, March 8, and a concert Friday, March 9. Both events begin at 7 p.m. in the Wartburg Chapel and are free to the public.

 “Working with a musician of Allen Vizzutti’s stature will be an inspiration for student musicians,” said festival organizer and Wartburg faculty member Dr. Scott Muntefering. He added that the trumpeter’s performances will be “a real treat for students and area residents.”

Vizzutti has performed with the NBC Tonight Show Band, Doc Severinsen, Chick Corea, Chuck Mangione and Woody Herman. At home in a multitude of musical idioms, he has appeared with orchestras throughout the world and as a solo artist at the Hollywood Bowl, Carnegie Hall and a wide variety of prestigious international music and jazz festivals. His music has earned accolades as “beautiful, lyrical, stunning and stupefying.”

The artist is featured on more than 100 motion picture sound tracks, including “Back to the Future” and “Star Trek.” Currently an artist-in-residence at the University of South Carolina, he also has taught at Eastman School of Music, Banff Center for the Performing Arts, Kansas State University, Ohio State University, West Texas State University, Skidmore Jazz Institute and the Trompeten Akademie of Bremen Germany.

“The Allen Vizzutti Trumpet Method” and the artist’s “New Concepts for Trumpet” have become standards works for trumpet study. He also has published jazz and classical books, play-along recordings and student and recital compositions, including pieces for flute, clarinet, saxophone, trombone, tuba, and harp, chamber groups, wind ensemble, jazz ensemble, and symphony orchestra.

Scott Olson, principal trumpet of the South Dakota Symphony will join Vizzutti as a guest clinician for the Trumpet Festival. Vizzutti, Olson and Muntefering will perform at the March 8 recital. Pianist Laura Vizzutti will accompany her husband, while Dr. Suzanne Torkelson of the Wartburg music department will accompany Olson and Muntefering.

The March 9 concert will feature a mass trumpet choir, the Wartburg College Brass Choir and guest performances by Vizzutti and Olson.

Providing funding for the Trumpet Festival are the Yamaha Corp. and Kephart’s Music in Decorah.