Mary Thornton is Assistant Professor of Trumpet at Del Mar College. She holds a B. Mus. degree from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, a M. Mus. degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she was awarded the 1993 Bernard Adelstein Prize in Trumpet, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A former member of the Green Bay Symphony Orchestra for thirteen seasons, Dr. Thornton currently performs with the Corpus Christi Symphony, the Victoria Symphony, and the Mid-Texas Symphony. She has appeared with numerous ensembles including the Madison Symphony, the East Texas Symphony, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, the Ohio Light Opera, the Charleston (SC) Symphony, and the Orchestra of the State of Mexico (Toluca, Mexico). Her teachers include Michael Sachs, John Aley, David Bilger, Chris Gekker, and James Wilt.

Active as a chamber musician, Dr. Thornton was a member of Quantum Brass, participants in Chamber Music America's Rural Residency Program. At Del Mar College she was a founding member of the Del Mar Trio which commissioned Trio for Brass by Lauren Bernofsky in 2002. An avid promoter of new music, Dr. Thornton presented the world premiere of Lauren Bernofsky's Concerto for Trumpet in 2001. In 2004, Neil Flory wrote Four Pieces for Trumpet and Percussion for Dr. Thornton and the Del Mar College Percussion Ensemble. The premiere performance took place on March 30, 2005.

A frequent contributor to the International Trumpet Guild Journal, Dr. Thornton has written articles about the history of the Cleveland Orchestra trumpet section, the Concerto for Trumpet by John Williams, the music of Lauren Bernofsky, and the International Women's Brass Conference.

Recent events for Dr. Thornton include the presentation of a session entitled, Overcoming the Fear Factor: Controlling Performance Anxiety Through Neurotechnology, at the 2006 Texas Music Educator's Association convention in San Antonio, TX, and a performance of Neil Flory's Four Pieces for Trumpet and Percussion at the 2006 International Trumpet Guild Conference at Rowan University.

Click here for more information about the trumpet studio at Del Mar College.

Mary Thornton conducting the combined Del Mar College Trumpet and Low Brass Ensembles.

Neil Flory and Mary Thornton