David Bilger

David Bilger (born 1961) is an American trumpet player and teacher. From 1995 to 2022 he served as principal trumpet in the Philadelphia Orchestra and is currently the professor of trumpet at Northwestern University.¹

Bilger attend the University of Illinois for his bachelor of music and Juilliard for his master's.² He performed with the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra for five years.³ He became the principal trumpet in the Dallas Symphony before joining the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1995. He was the principal trumpet until 2022.⁴ He is the professor of trumpet at Northwestern University and is on the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music.⁴

Bilger has appeared as a soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Dallas Symphony, the Houston Symphony, the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, the Oakland Symphony, the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, and others.⁴

• Wind Concerti with the Temple University wind symphony⁵
• From the Dark Earth⁵
• Bach, J.S.: Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 1–6 with Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society⁵
• Shostakovich: Piano Concertos Nos. 1&2 with the Philadelphia Orchestra⁵
• Haydn: Trumpet Concerto in E-Flat, Symphony No. 86 with the Philadelphia Orchestra⁵
• First Chairs: Cantos for Solo Instruments⁵

• Gabrieli-National Brass Ensemble⁵
• Ewald: Brass Quintets Nos. 1&3⁵
• Trumpets in Stride⁵
• Baroque Trumpetissimo⁵
• The Heroick Mr Handel⁵
• The Birth of Rhapsody In Blue: Paul Whiteman's Historic Aeolian Hall Concert of 1924⁵
• Music for Ceremony & Celebration⁵

• Rachmaninov Variations with the Philadelphia Orchestra⁵
• Stravinsky/Stokowski-The Rite of Spring/Bach Transcriptions with the Philadelphia Orchestra⁵
• Mahler Symphony No. 5 with the Philadelphia Orchestra⁵
• Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 with the Philadelphia Orchestra⁵

• The All-Star Orchestra⁶
• CancerBlows⁷