Ray Nowak

San Diego Symphony Orchestra trumpeter Ray Nowak was born in Los Angeles and started his 3rd trumpet position in January of 2012. Mr. Nowak was Assistant Principal Trumpet of the Orquesta Sinfonica de Tenerife for five years in the Canary Islands, Spain, and has also held positions with Orquesta Sinfonica de Galicia, Spain, the Santa Barbara Symphony, Festival della Valle d’Itria, Martina Franca, Italy, Orquesta de Baja California in Tijuana, Mexico, the California Philharmonic and the Royal Band at Huis Ten Bosch, Nagasaki, Japan. He was also a founding member of the Presidio Brass Quintet. During his tenure with the quintet, he performed nationally and gave countless masterclasses to students all over the nation. He still teaches privately in the San Diego community and is also the trumpet teacher at the University of San Diego.

Mr. Nowak holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from the California State University at Long Beach, Bob Cole Conservatory of Music and a master’s degree in Music Performance from UCLA.

Notable universities that he has guided students to gain acceptance into include: Colburn School of Music, Vanderbilt University, Eastman School of Music, California State University at Fullerton, California State University at Long Beach, Brigham Young University as well as San Diego State University.