David Bilger has been appointed professor of trumpet at the Northwestern University Bienen School of Music, effective September 1, 2022. He has served as lecturer of trumpet at the Bienen School since 2018.

Hailed by the New York Times for his playing of “easy brilliance” and by the Washington Post for his “engaging legato touch,” Bilger has held the position of principal trumpet of the Philadelphia Orchestra since 1995. Prior to joining the orchestra, he held the same position with the Dallas Symphony.

As a soloist Bilger has appeared with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Dallas Symphony, the Houston Symphony, the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, the Oakland Symphony, the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Philharmonia Virtuosi of New York, and others. His solo appearances with the Philadelphia Orchestra include 2018 performances of Christian Lindberg’s Akbank Bunka, the Hummel Trumpet Concerto in E-flat in 2013, a 2008 United States premiere of Herbert Willi’s Eirene for trumpet and orchestra, as well as performances of Bloch’s Proclamation (2006), Copland’s Quiet City (2004), and Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto in E-flat (2003). Bilger has performed recitals in New York, Washington D.C., Cleveland, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and other major American cities.

Bilger has appeared with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, with which he recorded Bach’s Second Brandenburg Concerto. Other chamber music appearances include Chamber Music Northwest, the New York Trumpet Ensemble, Saint Luke’s Chamber Ensemble, as well as guest appearances with the Canadian Brass and the Empire Brass. He also released a recording of electro-acoustic music for trumpet and synthesizers with composer Meg Bowles.

A faculty member of the Curtis Institute of Music since 1997, he has also taught at Temple University, the Hugh Hodgson School of Music at the University of Georgia, and Rice University. He previously held the position of visiting guest artist at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University. Bilger received a Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School of Music and a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Illinois.