Merrie Klazek is a versatile and respected trumpet artist in the world of performance and education. Fluent in orchestral, chamber, solo, traditional (world), and popular styles, Merrie joined the full-time faculty at the University of Victoria’s School of Music in 2016 after 21 years playing principal trumpet in Canadian Orchestras (Thunder Bay Symphony, Victoria Symphony, Orchestra London Canada.) Merrie holds an MMus with distinction from Northwestern University where she studied with Vincent Cichowicz.
Her musical travels have taken her around the globe with performance highlights including Spoleto Festival Italy, Banff Centre Theatre Arts Canada, Strasbourg Musik Contemporaire France, Bunka Kaikan Hall Japan, SBALZ Festival Valencia, Jeju International Wind Ensemble Festival Korea, and numerous solo appearances with Canadian orchestras and Folk/World music festivals. Merrie’s popular solo albums “Songs to the Moon” (2000) and “Dance Around the Sun” (2023) have earned her 2 bronze medals from Global Music Awards and nominations for Instrumental Artist of the Year and Global Roots Album of the Year from Western Canada Music Awards and the Canadian Folk Music Awards.
Merrie has appeared as a presenter, artist, teacher and adjudicator at the International Trumpet Guild Conference (‘08,’11,’18,’21,’23,‘24), International Women’s Brass Conference (’10,’12,’17), Canadian Women’s Brass Collective (’20, ‘24), Trompetenmuseum Badsackingen & World Trumpet Society (‘19), SBALZ (’24) and JIWEF Korea (’25). Her engaging lectures and presentations cover topics including Performance Skills, Trumpet Pedagogy, Women in Brass, Trumpet and the Art Song, and Music as a Global Connector. In 2022 Merrie commissioned “Listen to Learn” by Scott MacInnes, a piece for 9 trumpets based on themes of reconciliation with the Indigenous people of Canada, premiered by her students at the International Trumpet Guild Conference in San Antonio, Texas.

Her pedagogical method rooted in the Arnold Jacobs concept of Song and Wind, Merrie is a dedicated teacher with an aptitude for using visual analogies to help students overcome challenges. She has presented masterclasses at music schools throughout North America, the UK, Europe & Asia, including the Royal Northern College of Music, The Royal Scottish Conservatoire, McGill University, Stavanger University and others. Merrie is the author of a new pedagogical manual called “Troubleshooting for Trumpet” to be released in Fall of 2026. In August 2027 she will host a conference at the University of Victoria to celebrate the 100th anniversary of her teacher Vincent Cichowicz. Merrie is an endorsing artist for Bach Trumpets and Wedge Mouthpieces, and is a proud user of Gard Bags.