Dr. Ulrich, professor of music, has been the trumpet professor at Western Carolina University since 1989. He received his Bachelor of Music Degree in Trumpet Performance from the Florida State University where he studied with Bryan Goff. His Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in Trumpet Performance and Literature were awarded from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, where he studied with Ray Sasaki and Michael Tunnell. He has had additional lessons with Raymond Mase, George Vosburgh, Adolphe Herseth, James Thompson, Vincent DiMartino, and Chrispian Steele Perkins.
Maintaining an active performing career, Dr. Ulrich currently performs with the Asheville Symphony Orchestra, the Smoky Mountain Brass Quintet, and the Fortress Brass Quintet. He has formerly held positions in the Hendersonville Symphony Orchestra, Greenville Symphony Orchestra (SC), Brevard Chamber Orchestra the Springfield Symphony Orchestra (IL), the Champaign-Urbana Symphony (IL), Sinfonia da Camera (IL), and the Cedar Falls Waterloo Symphony (IA).
Dr. Ulrich has performed countless recitals both as a soloist and in brass quintets. He has performed and taught across the United States and in Russia, Canada, England, Ireland, Wales, St. Barths, Italy, China, Germany, Jamaica, Hungary, Romania, the Czech Republic, Costa Rica, Mexico, and South Africa. Dr. Ulrich is the Artistic Director/First Trumpet of the Smoky Mountain Brass Quintet, which gave its New York debut at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in June 2007. He is also a founding member of the Fortress Brass Quintet, which tours nationally and internationally each year. The Fortress Brass Quintet is comprised of five university brass professors from five different universities across the United States.
Over the years Dr. Ulrich has published over a dozen articles in the International Trumpet Guild’s Journal. He was for 10 years Public Relations Director for ITG and the Competition Page Editor for the ITG Youth Website. He has also served on the Membership Development Committee for ITG.
Dr. Ulrich is the Executive Director of the Trumpet Festival of the Southeast and Artistic Director for the Brass Autumn Festival in St. Petersburg, Russia. He is an Artist/Clinician and member of the Product Advisory Council for the Jupiter Band Instrument Company.
Dr. Ulrich has three won the James Dooley Award for Excellence in Teaching Music (2002, 2008, 2015) and in 2013 he was awarded the prestigious University Scholar Award from Western Carolina University.
