Dr. Louie Eckhardt is Assistant Professor of Music at Hastings College, in Hastings, NE, where he teaches high brass, music history, and conducts the Hastings College Band. He also serves as the Chair of the Department of Music and Theatre. Dr. Eckhardt is currently principal trumpet of the Hastings Symphony Orchestra, principal trumpet of the Monroe Symphony Orchestra, the Cathedral Brass Quintet. He has also performed with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Acadiana Symphony Orchestra, Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra, Rapides Symphony Orchestra, Nittany Valley Symphony Orchestra, and the Altoona Symphony Orchestra. He is the founder and Artistic Director of the INTEGERS New Music Series in Nebraska, as well as a featured artist at the New Music on the Bayou Festival in Louisiana. Dr. Eckhardt has performed with the Victoria Bach Festival in Victoria, TX, and the Vail International Dance Festival in Vail, CO. He has been a guest of the Fundación Sinfonía Concertante de Panamá, presenting masterclasses at the Universidad de Panamá, the Instituto Nacional de Música de Panamá, and the Casa de Cultura de Panamá. In addition, he is an active recitalist and is in frequent demand as a performer and clinician. As a Baroque trumpeter and disciple of the historically informed performance movement, Dr. Eckhardt has performed with La Follia Austin Baroque, the American Bach Soloists, Mercury, and Bach Society Houston. Dr. Eckhardt holds a B.M. in Music Education and Trumpet Performance from Hastings College, an M.M. in Trumpet Performance from The Pennsylvania State University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Trumpet Performance at Louisiana State University. He has studied trumpet with Daniel Schmidt, Langston J. Fitzgerald, III, and Brian Shaw. He has also studied with Denny Schneider, Keith Benjamin, John Thiessen, Charles Lirette, and Vance Woolf.