Mason O’Brien is a professional jazz trumpeter, teacher, and composer from Des Moines, IA. Mason was a quarterfinalist in the 2022 National Trumpet Competition, as well as a semifinalist in the International Trumpet Guild Conference Competition in 2023. Mason has performed at a diverse selection of venues including Noce, Reunion Brewery, Gene’s Iowa City, Louie’s Wine Dive, and Hancher Auditorium—where he performed as part of a concert of Duke Ellington’s compositional masterpiece: Black, Brown, and Beige.

At the University of Iowa, he studied trumpet performance under Amy Schendel and Michael Gause. He also studied music composition under Ramin Roshandel, with a focus on programmatic music as well as the music of Elliot Carter and Igor Stravinsky, premiering his piece for unaccompanied trombone at the University of Iowa’s Composer’s Workshop concert series. Under the tutelage of William Menefield, he studied jazz composition and arranging, with a focus on the arranging methods of Sammy Nestico.

Mason was also the Treasurer, then Vice-President of the Iowa Trumpet Guild, an organization dedicated to growing and broadening the trumpet community in Iowa City; through conducting events, fundraising, hosting masterclasses, inviting guest artists, and promoting performances. In Iowa, Mason taught a small private studio of students that had diverse sets of experiences, skills, interests, and backgrounds; teaching a tailored curriculum to each student’s needs and interests.

At the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, he studied with John Raymond and performed in ensembles led by Sean Dobbins, Tom Walsh, and Jeremy Allen. During his time at Indiana University, he developed his compositional and arranging skills, arranging and composing for various ensembles. He premiered his adaptation of “Deception” (written originally for the “Birth of the Cool” nonet by Gerry Mulligan) for the Tom Walsh Jazz Ensemble. He also wrote for small jazz ensembles ranging from quintet to 10-tet; drawing on his major influences such as: Duke Ellington, Gil Evans, Lennie Tristano, Wayne Shorter, and Charles Mingus. Looking forward, Mason strives to teach students a diverse mix of musical concepts, drawing from his diverse knowledge, experiences, and interests; while continuing to perform and compose music of jazz’s unique musical idiom.