Marie Speziale, Professor Emerita of Trumpet and Chair of the Brass Department at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, is acknowledged as the first woman trumpeter in a major symphony orchestra. Ms. Speziale retired from the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra after serving as Associate Principal Trumpet for thirty-two years. Since retiring from the Cincinnati Symphony, she has performed with the St. Louis, Houston, Colorado and Louisiana Symphonies as well as the Houston Grand Opera and Houston Ballet. Active as a clinician throughout the United States and in Europe and Japan, she has been a featured guest artist at the International Women's Brass Conference (IWBC) and International Trumpet Guild (ITG) conferences. She has served as competition judge for the Fischoff Chamber Music, IWBC, ITG and National Trumpet Competitions. She has conducted the New World Symphony Brass, Monarch Brass, Lucca Italy Festival Brass, Spoleto Italy Festival Brass as well as the brass sections of Washington, DC's premiere US Air Force Band and US Army Field Band. Her extensive performance experience includes solo appearances on the NBC Dave Garroway Today Show, with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, with Duke Ellington and with Dave Brubeck on the Johnny Carson NBC Tonight Show, on the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra European tour and at the Interlochen Arts Academy, recording sound tracks for James Brown, Star Trek Voyager and Deep Space Nine. Former President of the IWBC, she is on its emerita board of directors and also serves
on the board of the American Classical Music Hall of Fame. Before accepting her position at Rice, Ms. Speziale served as Adjunct Associate Professor of Music at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and Professor of Music at Indiana University School of Music. She has received the Pioneer Award from the IWBC, the Golden Rose Award from the Women Band Director International, the 2015 Outstanding Alumni Award from the University of Cincinnati, and the Distinguished Alumna Award from the College-Conservatory of Music. From 2014-2016, Ms. Speziale supervised the graduate brass chamber music program at Indiana University's Jacob School of Music. In 2016, she was invited by the Midwest Board of Directors to present a master class at their 70th Anniversary Conference. In 2017 and 2018, she travelled to Uruguay to conduct the Banda Sinfonica de Montevideo in concerts commemorating Women's History Month. In 2018, Ms. Speziale was Visiting Professor of Trumpet at The Butler School of Music at the University of Texas Austin and was recognized with the prestigious Honorary Award from the International Trumpet Guild. In 2019, Ms. Speziale was one of 100 women recognized by Cincinnati Arts Wave in their Celebration of Women in the Arts: Power of Her.