Trumpet Artist Ryan nielsen

Praised for his “breathtaking” sound as a "musician of the highest order,” Ryan Nielsen is a rare trumpet artist equally at home in classical music, jazz, and contemporary styles. His unique voice combines a love of groove, soulfulness, and beautiful melody for which he is known.

A devoted teacher and clinician, he has been a consultant for professional trumpeters and students alike from Los Angeles to London to Turkey. His popular YouTube channel Ryan’s Trumpet has thousands of subscribers from around the globe. His book, The Classroom Guide to Jazz Improvisation, written with his dear friend and mentor John McNeil (jazz icon and Professor Emeritus, The New England Conservatory of Music), was published in May 2024 by Oxford University Press and quickly became a #1 New Release on Amazon. His students are working throughout the United States and beyond with careers in education and performance.

As a performing artist, Nielsen has toured, performed, and/or recorded with the Kobie Watkins Grouptet (Origin Recording Artists), Ra Kalam Bob Moses (Smithsonian-recognized artist), Delfeayo Marsalis (National Endowment of the Arts Jazz Master), and the Summit Brass (“The first and only truly American large brass ensemble”), to international acclaim. Accolades include a 4.5-star rating on All About Jazz and being named a “Recommended New Release” in the New York City Jazz Record. His work with the Kobie Watkins Grouptet was named one of the 10 Best Albums of the Year by Howard Reich, former member of the Pulitzer Jury. In 2024, Nielsen released an all-video solo album—Triple B Blues—with such luminaries as guitarist Bobby Broom, pianist Ryan Hanseler, bassists Christian Dillingham and Will Ledbetter, and drummer Kobie Watkins.

Nielsen has presented at the International Conference on the Arts in Society, the International Trumpet Guild Conference, the International Association of Jungian Studies, and was a juror for the Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Solo Competition. In 2024 he was named the Jazz Editor of the International Trumpet Guild Journal, where he has published multiple articles. 2025 holds forthcoming publications with BodySoul Rhythms Europe as well as the premier online Francophone journal in Jungian studies.

Nielsen has an abiding interest in trauma therapy as well, and is currently earning his certification in BodyDreaming: An Approach to the Treatment of Developmental Trauma, created by Ireland-based therapist, Marian Dunlea. He is in the early phases of developing music-informed practices that map onto the BodyDreaming model, which weaves attachment, somatic, and Jungian approaches together into an embodied, intuitive practice. He is also a certified Life Coach through the Life Purpose Institute.

Nielsen is a LOTUS trumpet artist, and plays the LOTUS Silver Flare trumpet, with a 1XL2 Nickel LOTUS mouthpiece. He is the Associate Professor of Trumpet at Utah Valley University, where he runs the Wolverine Trumpet Studio.