Hailed as “an artiste with an exceptional talent...one of the finest trumpet players in the world today,” (4barsrest.com) and “one of the world’s most engaging and astonishingly versatile trumpeters,” (Style Weekly), Rex Richardson was named the 2008 Brass Herald Personality of the Year. A veteran of the renowned chamber ensemble Rhythm & Brass, Joe Henderson’s Quintet, the Chicago Jazz Ensemble and the Brass Band of Battle Creek, Richardson has appeared with acclaimed artists in many genres. He headlines at international festivals and as a soloist with orchestras, jazz ensembles, brass bands and concert bands on five continents.
Richardson has premiered concertos by Dana Wilson, Doug Richards and Peter Meechan. Since 2010, he has premiered Jim Stephenson’s Trumpet Concerto No. 2, Rextreme in venues around the world. His solo recordings are released on Summit Records. In January 2011, ITG Journal writes that his 2010 release Magnum Opus “...without a doubt, puts Rex Richardson among the very best trumpet soloists in the world today.”
Richardson is professor of trumpet and jazz trumpet at Virginia Commonwealth University and is currently Yamaha Artist-in-Residence at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England.