Morgan Bates is a trumpeter, musicologist, and educator based in Los Angeles, California. Morgan is currently a PhD student and Cota-Robles Fellow studying Musicology at UCLA. A member of the UCLA trumpet studio, they also serve as Third Trumpet of the Rogue Valley Symphony, teach trumpet at HOLA and throughout LA county, and regularly perform with the Gay Freedom Band of LA. 

 

Morgan's performance experiences span widely across genres, from orchestral settings and chamber works to electronic noise music. As a trumpet soloist, Morgan has performed with the Oregon Mozart Players and twice as a concerto competition winner with the Dickinson College Orchestra. Morgan has previously held the position as Second Trumpet in the Oregon Mozart Players and worked with numerous esteemed ensembles, including the Eugene Symphony, Orchestra Next, Newport Symphony, Eugene Difficult Music Ensemble, Oregon Brass Quintet, Eugene Opera, and Sinfonietta Polonia of Poznan, Poland. Additionally, Morgan has collaborated with composers, artists, and creators across the country on projects ranging from commissions to sound art on multi-media production. Most recently, Morgan's work with the UCLA Small Trumpet Ensemble has qualified for the National Trumpet Competition quarterfinals and the International Trumpet Guild's Ryan Anthony Memorial Competition Chamber semi-finals.

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As a musicologist, Morgan's work centers around vocality, queer identity, race, gender, and popular music performance and listenership. In their master's thesis, Morgan explores materiality and musical constructions of identity in Janelle Monáe's most recent concept album Dirty Computer. Morgan has presented at the Pacific Northwest Regional AMS Conference and the Musicking Conference. Morgan is also a research assistant with the Practice-based Experimental Epistemology Lab (PEER Lab) at UCLA.

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A passionate teacher and learner, Morgan earned their Master of Music in Trumpet Performance, Master of Arts in Musicology, and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Certificate from the University of Oregon in 2021. Previously, Morgan received their Bachelor of Arts degree magna cum laude with departmental honors from Dickinson College. Morgan received their musical training from Brian McWhorter, Sarah Viens, Jeffrey Wohlbach, James Martin, and Jonathan Hays. Outside of music, Morgan is an avid mental health advocate and enjoys cooking, traveling with their partner, and playing with their cat, Reggie..