Trumpet
Rick Leister, a native of Toledo, Ohio, moved to the Chicago area in 1976 to serve
with the 81st Army Band at Fort Sheridan, Illinois. Since his discharge in 1979, he has been one of
Chicagoland's busiest trumpet players, in demand for his ability to adapt to many diverse
performance situations.
As an orchestral trumpet player, he has performed with the Toledo Symphony Orchestra, Lake Forest
Symphony, Elgin Symphony (as guest soloist), the Apollo Chorus, the Ravinia Festival Orchestra, and
was trumpet soloist with the Chicago Music Consortium Chamber Orchestra.
As a lead trumpet player, he has performed with many Chicago big bands and has performed with Burt
Bachrach, Doc Severinsen, Manhattan Transfer, Wayne Newton, Henry Mancini, Johnny Mathis, Ray
Charles and other Las Vegas-style acts.
During the past 15 years, Mr. Leister has been an active member of Chicago musical theater,
performing Broadway shows with the orchestras of the Arie Crown, Schubert, Chicago, Lyric Opera,
Palace, Oriental, Drury Lane, and Auditorium Theaters. His show credits include Les Miserables,
Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon, Sunset Boulevard, Scarlet Pimpernel, A West Side Story, the pre-Broadway
premieres of Victor Victoria with Julie Andrews, and Mel Brooks' The Producers with Nathan Lane and
Matthew Broderick.
Mr. Leister's teachers include Bernard Sanchez (Toledo University), Charles Geyer (Chicago Symphony
Orchestra), Vincent Cichowicz (Northwestern University) and Bobby Lewis (Chicago recording artist).
Mr. Leister is Instructor of Trumpet and Brass Ensemble Coach at Illinois Wesleyan University.
E-Mail: rleister@wideopenwest.com
