About Joe
Joe Klause received his Bachelor’s Degree in Trumpet Performance from the New England Conservatory in Boston, after graduating from the Pre-College Program at the Juilliard School in New York. He went on to earn a Master’s Degree in Dalcroze Eurhythmics and an Artist Diploma in Chamber Music from the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, completing his education with additional studies at le Conservatoire du Rueil-Malmaison in France.
After music school, Joe took an unexpected detour and built a multi-state ice cream sandwich business with his family, Peace Pie. Eventually, he decided he had scooped enough ice cream for one lifetime and moved to Oregon to return to his first love, music.
Joe is a member of the Portland Opera Orchestra, Rose City Brass Quintet and Trio. He serves as acting Second/Associate Principal Trumpet with the Hawai’i Symphony. He also performs regularly with the Oregon Symphony, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Eugene Symphony, Tacoma Symphony, Orchestra Next, Orpheus PDX, Oregon Bach Festival, and the Sunriver Music Festival, among other ensembles around the Pacific Northwest. Joe teaches each summer at the Wallowa Brass Camp, and is on the trumpet faculty at the University of Portland, Lewis and Clark College, Reed College, and Clackamas Community College.
Outside of music, Joe works as a software engineer, often collaborating with creative and mission-driven teams on web apps and tools to help better our world. He enjoys being outdoors, exercising, playing with his cats, reading, and finding creative solutions in code, music, and everyday life.
Joe’s principle teachers include Tom Rolfs, Ben Wright, Steve Emery, Eric Aubier, Kevin Cobb, Brian McWhorter, Norman Bolter, David Seals, and Douglas Buys. In the Fall of 2025, he will begin a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Trumpet Performance at the University of Oregon working with Dr. Miki Sasaki of the Canadian Brass Quintet.
Due to his intense out-of-town schedule and DMA work, Joe is generally not accepting students, but if you're looking for a trumpet teacher in Oregon, he's happy to help connect you with some of the area's best. He's always glad to hear from former students, colleagues, and fellow musicians, and welcomes all other inquiries. Feel free to get in touch!