Justin Copeland is a trumpet player, pianist, composer and music educator based out of the Central Valley city of Fresno, California. He has spent the past 10+ years performing all over the United States and abroad (Mexico, Canada, Cuba, and others), and currently resides in the Portland, OR area. Justin earned a B.A. in Music Performance from California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) in 2011, an M.M. in Jazz Studies from Northwestern University in 2013, and he is currently finishing a D.M.A. in jazz studies from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. During his eight year tenure living in the Chicago area, Justin shared the bandstand with many world-renowned musicians including saxophonist Victor Goines, vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater, saxophonist Branford Marsalis, singer/songwriter Solange Knowles and jazz vocalist Kurt Elling. In 2017, Justin had the distinct fortune of winning 1st place in the Yamaha Jazz Division of the National Trumpet Competition, as well as being one of the five finalists selected to compete in the biennial Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Competition. In February 2020, Justin was also selected as one of 30 candidates worldwide to audition for the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz, where he performed alongside his fellow candidates for a panel of adjudicators which included trumpeter, Ambrose Akinmusire, saxophonist Wayne Shorter, and pianist and program Director Herbie Hancock.
In addition to performing, Justin is quite active as an educator. His teaching efforts have brought him to such places like Havana, Cuba in 2016 and to jazz festivals like the 2018 Northeastern State University Jazz Festival where he served as a guest artist, adjudicator and clinician. He was very active as a music educator in the Beaverton School District for several years, and currently serves as adjunct faculty at Portland State University as well George Fox University.