Mississauga trumpeter off to the Music City to play with Nashville Symphony
Published March 31, 2022 at 3:49 pm
A young Mississauga trumpeter has hit the big time.
William Leathers, 21, will soon be doing his musical thing in the Music City.
After his upcoming graduation from the world-famous Juilliard School in New York City, Leathers will head south to take up as principal trumpet player with the Nashville Symphony in Tennessee.
Landing the impressive gig was far from easy as he had to endure three rounds of intense auditions in order to secure his ticket to the southern U.S. hotspot long known as Music City.
Leathers, given his first trumpet at age seven after having learned piano three years earlier, was accepted to Juilliard four years ago. A crowdfunding campaign started by a friend provided a big boost in paying the huge costs of tuition and housing the first two years, the Mississauga native told CBC News.
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William Leathers performs on stage. (Photo: William Leathers Facebook)
He subsequently played with the New York Philharmonic and earned a prestigious fellowship to pay for his final two years at school.
And good fortune seems to keep finding Leathers. Thanks to a friend who was in the show, the former Mississaugan made his Broadway debut last weekend in The Music Man.
Leathers won’t be leaving Juilliard behind for good. He’s been invited back to the school to complete an accelerated Master of Music degree.
At age 12, Leathers, whose father also played the instrument, became the youngest trumpeter accepted to the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra and the Halton Mississauga Youth Orchestra.
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