Trumpet player-continued

McLean’s first professional gig was playing trumpet for the Harlequin Dinner Theater in Atlanta, GA. “As a sophomore in college I was playing eight Broadway shows per week. The rest of the pit orchestra consisted of my classmates from GSU. It was a professional outfit, though. I did have to audition, and I practiced a lot so I could pass the audition. My applied teacher at Georgia State, Bill Hill, devoted an entire lesson help me prepare. He took me through every note of the first show. That show was Where’s Charlie which ran for about six weeks. Then we had multi-week runs of Company and Guys and Dolls. It was a lot of fun and great experience. However, after about six months I realized it was too hard to play a full-time gig AND be a full-time music major, so I left the.”

Like many trumpet players, Greg experienced the travails of embouchure changes, equipment changes, etc. But, through perseverance managed to maintain a high skill level. Greg credits his high school band director, Jack Foos, for guiding him towards a career in music. “Jack was strict, but an excellent teacher. He was also a fine trumpet player. ” Greg’s main trumpet teachers were: Jim Sedlack, Steve Winick, William Hill, George Rawlins and Larry Black.

“As a kid growing up in Chamblee, GA, I never expected to see the world or sit next to world-class musicians. I’ve been lucky enough to do both because of the trumpet.”