Mr. Alex Noppe is the holder of the Emy-Lou Biedenharn Endowed Chair in Music.
He is finishing his Doctor of Music in Brass Literature and Pedagogy at Indiana University, where he also completed his Master's of Music. He received his Bachelor's of Music in Trumpet Performance and Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Jazz Studies from the University of Michigan, graduating in 2005.
He has performed nationwide, holding trumpet positions with the Lansing Symphony, Columbus-Indiana Philharmonic, and Terre Haute Symphony. He has also performed with the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Bach Collegium, Indianapolis Jazz Orchestra, Hal Leonard Jazz Orchestra, and David Baker Big Band.
Noppe has appeared on stage alongside Eric Alexander, Chris Potter, Hank Jones, the Count Basie Orchestra, Sylvia McNair, Five-By-Design, Jon Anderson, John Clayton, Leonard Slatkin, and Garrison Keillor.
He is a founding member and resident composer/arranger for the Mirari Brass Quintet, which gives performances and clinics across the country.
His previous academic appointments included positions at Indiana State University, Depauw University, and Indiana University, where he served as teaching assistant to Distinguished Professor David Baker.
Noppe has won multiple prizes from the International Trumpet Guild and appeared at the Detroit Jazz Festival and the International Association for Jazz Educators Conference. Since 2004, he has spent summers teaching at the Performing Arts Institute in Kingston, Pa., where he serves as the Director of Jazz.
About the Endowment:
The Emy-Lou Biedenharn Endowed Professorship in Music endowment was established to encourage and reward excellence in teaching and demonstrate scholarly expertise in an appropriate field of music.