Musician Spotlight: Clint McLendon, trumpet

1. Tell us about your journey to the San Diego Symphony

My journey to the San Diego Symphony was not a linear trajectory by any means, but one with many ups and downs. In middle school, l attended the Atlanta Trumpet Festival and got to meet and hear Chris Martin, who was the Principal Trumpet of the Atlanta Symphony at the time. I was so blown away by his sound and technique, I knew from that moment I wanted to become a professional trumpet player.

In undergrad, I had a very long and challenging embouchure change, which resulted in me earning a bachelors degree in psychology at Georgia State University. Once I finally felt in control of my new embouchure, I auditioned at The Juilliard School and was accepted to study trumpet with Ray Mase, Mark Gould, and Chris Martin. The same Chris Martin who first inspired me to become a professional trumpet player was now Principal Trumpet of the New York Philharmonic and a professor at Juilliard!

I graduated from Juilliard at the worst possible time in 2020, right after

COVID hit. I was forced to put orchestra auditions on hold for two years, as well as all of my steady freelance work. I ended up working as an Amazon shopper at Whole Foods and delivering Uber Eats in NYC to get by, while still keeping up with my trumpet practice. Finally, in 2022, auditions returned, and I began taking every audition in the country. After winning 2 other auditions, I won the audition with San Diego and was appointed Second Trumpet in 2024!

2. What is your favorite San Diego Symphony memory so far?

My favorite memory with the San Diego Symphony happened in January! Playing Second Trumpet on Respighi's Roman Festivals between Chris Smith and Ray Nowack is the most fun I've ever had playing the trumpet. The piece is very difficult and requires so much concentration between all the tempo and meter changes.

3. How do you like to spend your free time when not performing?

We spend so much time inside the hall rehearsing and performing during the week that I try to make sure I get outside on my days off. I love going to the beach, going hiking, or hitting some balls at the driving range.

4. What symphonic work are you looking most forward to performing this season at Jacobs Music Center and why?

There are a lot of firsts for me this 2024-2025 season that I can't wait to play. If I must pick one, l'd have to say I'm really looking forward to playing Mahler 3 in our season finale. I've never played the piece before and can't wait to hear Chris Smith play the offstage solo in the 3rd movement. Mahler is one of my favorite composers and I've had the pleasure of playing his 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th, and the unfinished 10th symphony.

5. What is an interesting fact about yourself that you'd like to share?

I have an amazing big Maine Coon cat named Tyrion that I adopted. He has been with me through it all. He's moved around the country with me from Georgia, New York, Florida, Arizona, North Carolina, back to Arizona, and finally California. He has FIV which is an auto-immune disease for felines. He is the most affectionate and goofy cat ever and I love him so much. Any time I sit down around my apartment, he will always join me for a quick snuggle.