Herb Smith

Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, Herb Smith came to Rochester to attend the Eastman School of Music and began playing in the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra after graduating in 1991. He now holds the third trumpet seat. He is known as both an accomplished classical musician and as a jazz performer.

Herb has performed in Carnegie Hall with the RPO as well as a soloist, regularly plays with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and Chautauqua Institute Symphony Orchestra, and is a soloist/chamber musician around the greater Rochester Area. He plays many gigs with his jazz ensemble and has played with many notable musicians including Wynton Marsalis, Doc Severinsen, The Ojays, Aretha Franklin, Al Jarreau, and Ben Folds, among others.

Herb’s teaching experience includes teaching musicians and non-musicians of all ages. He is frequently involved in residencies with the Rochester City School District and many school districts in the surrounding areas. He is a faculty member at the Eastman Community Music School leading their youth jazz orchestra and at Rochester Institute of Technology where he directs two jazz bands. He is frequently requested to conduct all county big bands in the surrounding counties of upstate NY and also teaches private lessons out of his home.

He also leads Herb’s City Trumpets through ROCmusic, which provides a mentorship program for young black men, 12 to 18 years old, through the expression of music.