Bio

Jay Hagen, trumpeter and music educator, holds BS in Music Education from Nazareth College of Rochester, and an MM in Jazz and Contemporary Media from the Eastman School of Music. At Eastman, Jay played lead trumpet with the Eastman Jazz Ensemble, directed the Jazz Workshop Ensemble and was awarded the Graduate Teaching Assistant Prize for excellence in teaching.

Jay has performed with artists such as Steve & Eydie, Marion MacPartland, Clarence Gatemouth Brown, worked with Caribbean Cruise Lines, Royal Cruise Lines, the Neville Grande Hotel, as well as several popular groups in upstate New York (The Legendary Dukes, Nik & the Nice Guys) and New York City (52nd Street Swing, Starlyte). As the principle trumpeter with the New York Repertory Orchestra (2000-2010), Jay performed on two worldwide TV broadcasts of the Chinese New Year Global Gala in NYC, and can also be heard on the soundtrack for the HBO movie Casi, Casi. Jay's discography includes Committed To Soul, by The Legendary Dukes, I Blame You, by Michael Shelley, It's All True, by Joe Mattzie, Julia by Tao Zervas and You & Me by The Walkmen. 

After 18 years of teaching instrumental music in both public and private schools in the state of New York, Jay relocated to New Orleans, where he now teaches Jazz Appreciation, Music Appreciation and Applied Brass lessons at Delgado Community College, and directs several ensembles for the National World War II Museum, including the Victory Trio, the Victory Six, the Victory Big Band, and the fictitious "Hugh Datt and His Mystery Band" for the museum's musical theater production, On The Air. Jay also performs regularly with several jazz groups and chamber ensembles throughout the city of New Orleans.