Ricardo N. Lazaro is a self-taught trumpet player who is quickly establishing himself as a promising musical talent. Ricardo learned to play by watching YouTube performances of some of the world’s greatest trumpet players such as Arturo Sandoval, Adam Rapa, Chris Botti, and Jens Lindemann. Ricardo attends Town East Christian School in San Antonio, Texas—a school that offers no music, band, or choir programs or classes.
Earlier this month, Ricardo received notification that he was selected as the recipient of a 2023-24 Jack Kent Cooke Young Artists scholarship—an award granted for “helping exceptional young people . . . advance their artistic development and education.” Ricardo will soon be performing on the National Public Radio (NPR) and Public Broadcasting System (PBS) program From the Top.
Ricardo was also recently recognized by the S.E. Shires Company as one of its Rising Artists. The S.E. Shires Rising Artist Program was created “to identify and develop extraordinarily talented young Artists in their pursuit of musical accomplishment [and] aim[s] to highlight these talented musicians and help provide a network to build and diversify their creative and professional skills throughout the stages of their education and career.” Ricardo, at 16, is currently the youngest musician accepted into the Rising Artist program.
Ricardo performs with several Honor Bands in San Antonio including the Youth Orchestra of San Antonio (YOSA) Philharmonic; the YOSA Mariachi; and the San Antonio Youth Wind Ensemble (SAYWE). He was selected to perform with Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles’ (YOLA) National Festival Symphony under the direction of Maestro Gustavo Dudamel and has played in a side-by-side concert with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Ricardo has performed at some of the outstanding musical venues in the United States including Carnegie Hall and the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Ricardo is presently a member of the Luzerne National Festival Orchestra.
Ricardo has twice placed in the finals of the International Trumpet Guild’s Ryan Anthony Youth Division Trumpet Competition and received All-State High School Honors as an 8th grader in both the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) and the Texas Christian Athletic League (TCAL) instrumental solo competitions. Ricardo received notification last week that he has made preliminary rounds for the 2024 National Trumpet Competition; he will be competing in the live rounds in early March at Texas A&M University, Kingsville.
Ricardo is currently a Honor Roll student and ranks at the top class as he begin his Senior year of high school. This summer he attended the Texas Boys State as a delegate for his school as well as the Harvad Pre-Collegiate Summer Program.
Ricardo is an active Boy Scout and earned his Eagle Rank at the age of 12. Last May, Ricardo was named the Eagle Scout of the Year for the entire State of Texas through the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). This summer, Ricardo was recognized as the top Eagle Scout in the State of Texas by the American Legion. He also received national recognition as the first-place winner in both the Texas and National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution’s Arthur M. and Berdena King Eagle Scout competition.
You can find Ricardo’s 20th Century Music Competition 2024 trumpet performance here.
You can find Ricardo’s 2024 Summer Music Competition trumpet performance here.