Biography
Eli Block is a versatile trumpet player and educator based in Boston, Massachusetts. He performs regularly throughout New England with groups including the BT/ALC Big Band, Silver Arrow Band, and the Henry Godfrey Jazz Orchestra. He has also performed with the legendary Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Johnny Mathis, and the Grammy-winning 8-bit Big Band. In November 2022, he was featured as a Visiting Artist with the St. Olaf College Jazz Bands, where he led two masterclasses and performed as a soloist with the jazz bands. Block received his Master’s degree in Jazz Performance with academic honors from New England Conservatory in May 2020. During his time at NEC, he was a member of the NEC Jazz Orchestra and a recipient of the NEC Beneficent Society Scholarship. Block is a member of the Jazz Education Network (JEN) and has performed alongside renowned artists such as Dave Holland, Dave Douglas, Miguel Zenón, Ethan Iverson, Luciana Souza, Antonio Sánchez, George Schuller, and Ran Blake.
As a classical trumpeter, Block attended the National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute and Eastern Music Festival. Block graduated magna cum laude from St. Olaf College with his Bachelor of Music degree in Trumpet Performance. He was a winner of the St. Olaf Senior Soloists competition and performed the third movement of the Hummel Trumpet Concerto with the St. Olaf Orchestra. During his time at St. Olaf, Block toured Argentina, Uruguay, Cuba, Spain, France, and Italy, as well as over a dozen states across the United States. Block also participated in the first Suzuki Trumpet Unit 1 Teacher Training Workshop in North America in August 2016 at the Calgary Suzuki Summer Institute at Mount Royal University. He completed his Suzuki Trumpet Unit 2 Teacher Training in June 2023 with Ann-Marie Sundberg.
When he’s not playing the trumpet, Block enjoys working as an orchestra librarian. He has worked as a Library Assistant at the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, and New England Conservatory. Block also served as Acting Librarian for the Boston Landmarks Orchestra (2021) and as a Tanglewood Music Center Library Fellow (2018). He has completed independent orchestra library projects for conductors including Gerard Schwarz and Hugh Wolff. In his spare time, Block enjoys running, baking, and spending time outdoors.