Mark Gresham | 5 MAY 2025
Former Atlanta Symphony Orchestra principal trumpet Thomas Hooten, one of the world’s preeminent classical trumpet players, returns to metro Atlanta this weekend as guest soloist with the Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Paul Bhasin, performing the rarely heard Trumpet Concerto by iconic film composer John Williams.
The concert, A Kaleidoscope of American Music, will take place Saturday, May 10, at 7:30 p.m. at Johns Creek United Methodist Church. The program also features music by and George Gershwin, George Walker, Bernard Herrmann, and three new works by Atlanta composer Michael Kurth.
Hooten, who held the ASO’s Maple Dorne Weir Chair from 2006 to 2012, now serves as principal trumpet of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and teaches at the University of Southern California. In this conversation with EarRelevant publisher and music journalist Mark Gresham, Hooten reflects on his years in Atlanta, his collaborations with Williams, and what it means to return to Georgia with a work that showcases the composer’s lesser-known concert repertoire.
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Mark Gresham: You’ve come a long way since your time as principal trumpet of the Atlanta Symphony, from 2006 to 2012, where you held the Maple Dorne Weir Chair. Now, after your years in Los Angeles with the L.A. Philharmonic, how does it feel to return to Atlanta as a guest soloist with the Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra? And what influence did your time here have on your career?
Thomas Hooten: It was a huge opportunity for me to be principal trumpet of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. I’d never been a principal before. I’d been assistant principal in Indianapolis—so having this job in Atlanta felt like a big opportunity, but also a big challenge.
I was filling big shoes because Chris Martin had left to go to Chicago, so I felt a lot of pressure—not just from that, but also from myself—just to be able to play the repertoire that would be on my stand for the next several years.
So it was great. A really big learning experience for me—not only from a musician’s standpoint, working with Robert Spano and the other musicians of the orchestra—but also in learning how to be, in some ways, an unofficial leader in the brass section. Nobody ever says, “The trumpet player leads the brass section,” and I don’t really think about it like that. But I do think about it in terms of facilitating things.
It was a big learning experience for me, as a young man, to learn how to communicate and help facilitate some of the best musical experiences we could create as a group. Being there six years was all about growth.
I remember putting together a kind of listening lab backstage, so we could listen to recordings and critique them. People who were interested in learning and growing had a space to do that. I was part of the musicians’ committee quite a bit, so I felt very vested in that organization.
It was a great experience. I had a beautiful house just north of Marietta, in Kennesaw, which I miss very much. It was an amazing home.
Coming back is interesting. I’ve been so consumed with the last 12 years in L.A.—the Philharmonic is nonstop—and now I have kids. So it’ll be really interesting. I still have a softness in my heart for Atlanta, and I have several students who are still in the area. I’ll be collaborating with one former student while I’m there to put together a small recording project he’s organizing.
It’ll be great to see some former colleagues and musicians in the area. I still keep in touch with them, but it’ll be great to see them in person. It’s always great to reconnect face to face.
Tom Hooten pauses beside a poster for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, where he is principal trumpet. (courtesy of JCSO)
Mark Gresham: The upcoming Johns Creek program is entitled A Kaleidoscope of American Music, and you’re performing the John Williams Trumpet Concerto—something you have a special relationship with. Can you talk about that?
Thomas Hooten: Yeah, I’ve had the amazing opportunity to work with John Williams in a few different ways. I just saw him last weekend, actually. He’s a legend—but also incredibly humble, gracious, and thoughtful.
We [the LA Philharmonic] recorded the concerto with him about four or five years ago, and it’s hard to put into words what it means. We all know his iconic film scores—Jurassic Park, E.T., Indiana Jones—and the emotions they carry. But this concerto is different. It’s like returning to a great painting: every time I come back to it, I notice something new.
Williams once asked me, “How would Miles play the second movement?”—as in Miles Davis. That question really stuck with me. It opened up the idea that this piece isn’t just classical—it weaves in jazz, blues, all these elements of American musical identity.
You can’t approach it with a singular mindset, like trying to recreate the grandeur of Superman. It demands closer listening, more nuance. In some ways, it’s more complex than film music.
Every time I play it, I learn something new—about phrasing, about space, about listening. It’s a gift to come back to this piece, and I can’t wait to share it again.
Mark Gresham: This concert emphasizes American repertoire, and the Williams concerto definitely fits that. What do you think defines that “American” sound? Is an American brass sound different from European playing? Especially in a piece like this, where you’ve worked directly with the composer.
Thomas Hooten: I hesitate to try to pin down exactly what makes something sound “American.” Sure, there are tendencies among American brass players, but I’ve also heard beautiful interpretations by European musicians. I think John Williams himself would welcome a global approach to the piece.
The reason I recorded the concerto actually ties into that. Mike Sachs [Principal Trumpet of the Cleveland Orchestra] helped commission it with The Cleveland Orchestra, but they never released a recording—which seemed like a missed opportunity. I mean, Williams is a legendary composer, and this piece deserves to be heard more widely.
So I decided to record it. I even called Mike to let him know, and he was completely supportive. He agreed that the piece needed more exposure, especially given Williams’s deep connection to brass—it’s all over his film scores.
As for what makes my approach “American,” I think about qualities like drive, imagination, clarity, and a certain boldness. It’s not a rigid formula, but more a spirit—a mix of innovation and emotional openness that I try to bring to the music.
If you listen to the opening, it’s just this bold, single note—pa-pa—and then these bell-like sounds start to echo around the orchestra. It feels like voices calling out from different corners, building a kind of musical landscape for a conversation.
The trumpet might lead, but it’s not a solo-and-accompaniment piece. It’s more like a sonata, where the trumpet and orchestra are equals, interacting like a musical community. Everyone plays a part—there are moments for trombone, English horn—it’s all deeply collaborative, which I love. It reminds us this is something we’re doing together.
In the second movement, there’s this beautiful simplicity—a warm string bed with a clear, lyrical melody on top. It reminds me of Copland or of Bernstein’s Simple Song—that clarity and openness that feels very American.
Then the last movement is all drive and determination. It’s relentless in the best way—pushing forward, full of energy. We even used a click track in recording to stay locked in, and still had to focus on keeping that edge-of-your-seat momentum.
That forward motion—that spirit of always asking what’s next?—feels so true to Williams’s career. He’s constantly evolving, always creating. And I hear that in the music. It’s inspiring.
Mark Gresham: Some of what you’ve said reminds me of something I read about you—that you’re a storyteller in your playing. Would you say that’s true?
Thomas Hooten: Absolutely. I feel like that’s really all that matters.
I teach at USC here in L.A., and when I’m working with students, sure—I can help them with technique, I can help with sound, with audition prep. But the end goal isn’t to win a job. It’s not even to win an audition. The real goal is to tell a story—your story—through music. It’s about making the audience feel something, whatever that may be: inspiration, joy, even just a moment of imagination.
That’s why working with John Williams is so special, because he doesn’t tell you what to say. He gives you a platform—and a structure—to say what you want to say, but never micromanages it.
He’s never once told me how to play anything. Not once. And I find that incredible. That kind of humility is part of what makes him so special. He trusts the soloist to bring their own story to the music, in partnership with him—but without controlling it.
And to me, that’s a real sign of strength—not just as a person, but as a composer, too.
John Williams and Tom Hooten (tomhooten.com)
Mark Gresham: You mentioned persistence earlier, and it sounds like that was a big part of your own journey—even back in high school, working through challenges with the trumpet. And now you share that with your students. I understand that your wife, Jennifer Marotta, is also a distinguished trumpet player and the two of you have collaborated a bit?
Thomas Hooten: Yeah, we’ve done some work together—editing the Arban book, for example. We both taught at Kennesaw State back when they were building up the program, and then, when we moved to L.A., we started a family, and a couple of years later, thankfully, we both ended up teaching at USC. It’s been great to grow together in that way. And I think it’s important to give back—to help students however we can.
As for my own journey as a trumpet player—yeah, was definitely challenging. I think back to the way I approached music when I was with the Atlanta Symphony, and I had a lot of room to grow. I had to learn how to relax, how to collaborate more effectively on stage, how to communicate with people musically—and personally.
I don’t know if it’s just how I’m wired, or if it started with something I picked up in high school, but I latched onto some ideas around self-development early on and just ran with them. Even when I joined the Marine Band, I was going to self-help workshops, taking lessons, just trying to grow.
I still do that, actually. I still take lessons from people across the country who I think have special insights to offer. It’s not just about trumpet technique—it’s about understanding how people experience music.
I find that deeply inspiring. It helps me expand my understanding—not just of trumpet playing, but of how other people experience music. And that, to me, is one of the real gifts of music: there aren’t many fields where it’s actually required—and beneficial—for your job to bring your whole self.
You bring your struggles, your joy, your love, your frustrations—and you have to find a way to channel all of that into the act of playing an instrument. Whether it’s trumpet or violin, you have to both get out of your own way and know yourself deeply enough to reach that place where you’re a conduit for emotion. At some point, you have to just let go. I think that balance is always evolving. It’s never fixed. And I find that endlessly interesting.
Mark Gresham: Any final thoughts on the upcoming concert?
Thomas Hooten: I’d just encourage people to come out and hear something truly special. I’d be surprised if John Williams’ Trumpet Concerto has ever been played by a professional orchestra in Georgia—maybe a school ensemble has done it, but I doubt the ASO has.
It’s a big piece, with a powerful part for the whole orchestra—not just the trumpet. It’s exciting and rare, and I think it offers a different lens on John Williams. Everyone knows his film scores, but this shows another side of him. It might surprise people—and help them appreciate his artistry on a whole new level.
This Trumpet Concerto is a rare chance to hear his music as he intended it: for the stage, not the screen. There’s so much beauty and nuance in it, and I really hope John’s writing and my collaboration with Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra can bring some of that forward to share with the audience. ■
Johns Creek, Georgia. For more information: johnscreeksymphony.org
EXTERNAL LINKS:
- Thomas Hooten: tomhooten.com
- John Williams: johnwilliams.org
- Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra: johnscreeksymphony.org
Read more by Mark Gresham.
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