Joshua Kauffman, an in-demand performer and educator in the Washington Metropolitan area and throughout the United States, can be seen and heard at major venues like Lincoln Center, Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Capitol One Arena, Blues Alley, Keystone Korner, Strathmore, and the National Theatre. He can be heard at events like the Monterrey Jazz Festival, Rochester International Jazz Festival, Elkhart Jazz Festival, Jazz Education Network, International Trumpet Guild conference, Generations in Jazz Festival, Cancer Blows, and Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival, and can be found teaching at The National Jazz Workshop and as a guest artist and clinician with colleges and schools throughout the US.
Equally at home in the jazz and classical idioms, Joshua has had the opportunity to share the stage with James Taylor, The National Symphony Orchestra, Chicago, William Shatner, John Williams, Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, Doc Severinsen, Hugh Jackman, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Randy Brecker, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Seth MacFarlane, Killer Mike, Dianne Reeves, Bobby McFerrin, Arturo Sandoval, Franki Valli and the Four Seasons, Sean Jones, Ben Folds, Jacob Collier, Smokey Robinson, The Big Apple Circus, Renee Fleming, and many others.
Joshua enjoys a career as one of the first call trumpet players throughout the East Coast and United States. A regular sight at the Kennedy Center, Joshua can be heard regularly with the National Symphony Orchestra and Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra. He has been performing as guest principal trumpet and soloist with the NSO Pops since 2020 and the KCOHO since 2018. He has also played principal trumpet on countless national Broadway tours since 2018. He also currently holds the position of Lead Trumpet for the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra.
In addition to being a first call player at the Kennedy Center with both the NSO and KCOHO, he has performed as associate principal trumpet alongside principal trumpet of the NSO and friend, William Gerlach, for the PBS National televised Memorial Day and Capitol Fourth concerts since 2021. Joshua can be heard as a soloist on the recording, So Fragile, So Blue featuring William Shatner with the National Symphony Orchestra.
He also travels around the United States to perform swing music for national and international events like The International Lindy Hop Championships, DC Lindy Exchange, Beantown Camp, and other swing music and dancing events and competitions.
Originally from New Castle, Pennsylvania, Joshua attended The University of North Texas where he played in the Grammy-nominated One O’Clock Lab Band from 2014-2017 where he held both the solo and lead trumpet chairs. While in the One O’Clock Lab Band, he performed at the inaugural concert of Cancer Blows, Monterey Jazz Festival, and traveled to Australia to perform at the Generations in Jazz Festival with famed multi-instrumentalist, James Morrison. He graduated in 2017 Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies.
Days before graduation, Joshua auditioned and won a position with The United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own” where he currently holds the first trumpet chair of The U.S. Army Blues, the premiere jazz ensemble of The United States Army.
Joshua has had many great teachers and mentors in his life including Allen Vizzutti, Jay Saunders, Paul Stephens, John Holt, Rodney Booth, Mike Steinel, Dr. Stephen Hawk, and others.
Joshua is a Yamaha Performing Artist and exclusively plays GR Mouthpieces.