Rich Illman

ABOUT

Richard Illman began working at Michigan State University 1990 as associate professor of trumpet and retired in 2015. He has also taught at East Kentucky University for twelve years, the University of Kentucky for one year, Transylvania University for three years, and Ashbury College for three years. Formerly, he was a regular member of the Millennium Brass, the Lansing Symphony Big Band, and Principal Trumpet in the Lansing Symphony Orchestra. He is also the co-author of “Yoga for Wind Players” and has given presentations on the topic at venues around the world. For many years, he has given performances at elementary schools designed to get students interested in playing a musical instrument. Since his retirement in 2016, that has been one of his primary interests, along with performing multi-media concerts in planetariums, churches, and art museums. While playing trumpet for The Mercy Men when he was in college in Lexington, Kentucky, the group released one 45 single on the Bee Gee Record label. He received his masters from University of Kentucky. He has been a member of the MSU faculty quintet Beaumont Brass, former principal trumpet for the Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra, the Lexington Brass Quintet, and soloist with the Kentuckiana Brass. He has performed in the bands of Ray Charles, Doc Severinson, and Burt Bacharach.