Alvin Trask was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and was raised on a farm in Independence, Louisiana until age 12. He began playing the trumpet at the age of nine, inspired by his uncle who played tenor sax. The influence of his uncle´s musical flair combined with steady encouragement to entertain at family events, church activities, and school programs brought Alvin remarkable progress in playing the trumpet and perfecting his skills.In 1989, Trask received his first major break with the Tony Kelley Royal Ambassador Big Band where he performed, toured, and recorded with the Howard University Jazz Ensemble and the Federal Focus Jazz Band. During his summer hiatus from graduate school, Trask studied and performed at the Thelonious Monk Institute and Jazz Festival in Dolo, Italy.
Besides studying with Eddie Henderson, Alvin Batiste, James West, Fred Irby and Webster Young, Trask´s additional training and professional development includes work with the Stanford Jazz Workshop, Hartford University´s Advanced Placement Music Theory, the Eastman School of Music´s Jazz Arranging for Music Teachers, and the Essentially Ellington Band Director´s Workshop.
Alvin Trask earned a Bachelor of Music Degree (Classical Trumpet Performance) from Louisiana State University and a Master of Music Degree from Howard University. As an educator, Alvin Trask is currently an Associate Professor of Music and Trumpet at Montgomery College. Previously, he chaired the Performing Arts Department at a private Episcopalian high school where he taught music theory and composition and conducted the spectrum of bands: symphonic, jazz, pep, ensembles and chamber orchestras. Trask´s tenure also includes roles as Adjunct Professor of Music at Trinity College, Trumpet Instructor for a Music and Arts Center, Associate Conductor for the Pan American Symphony Big Band, and Brass Instructor for the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop.
