Rob Parton is one of Chicago’s busiest and versatile trumpet players. While he is well known as a trumpet artist, performer, and bandleader, he is also active within the academic side of higher education at Capital University in Columbus Ohio. Parton has been the Associate Professor of Trumpet at Capital University in Columbus Ohio since Fall 2010. Prior to this position, Parton was a tenured, Associate Professor of Jazz Studies and Trumpet in Chicago.

As a jazz musician and bandleader in Chicago, Parton performed and cultivated a five night steady for jazz trio at a wonderful restaurant called Catch 35. The trio continues to this day into its ninth year. Often times you can find Parton performing at Catch 35 when he is in town for other performances. Parton released a Rob Parton Quartet CD in 2008 featuring members of the Catch 35 trio plus others.

Parton is concentrating these days on the classical side of his playing in addition to working with various orchestras including the Milwaukee, Indianapolis and Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s. Most recently Parton performed “West Side Story” the Movie with all of these orchestras. Parton also looks forward to creating more opportunities and performances in the next year or so in the greater Columbus area.

As a studio musician, Parton has played on hundreds of local and national radio and television commercials and many local CD projects as lead trumpet. Parton has performed numerous times with the Chicago Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Chicagoland Pops Orchestra, Doc Severinson, Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra Jr., Mel Torme, Beach Boys, Christopher Cross, Sheena Easton, Peabo Bryson, Celine Dion, Nick Carter, Yolanda Adams, Josh Groban, Enrique Eglasius, Natalie Cole, Faith Hill, Carrie Underwood and Maynard Ferguson to name only a few. Parton has traveled with Natalie Cole and has been a featured soloist/member of the Music Now Contemporary Music series offered by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

As a theatre musician, Parton has performed with national tours and local productions of Wicked, Full Monty, Music Man, Sweet Charity, Music Man, Legally Blonde, Disney’s High School Musical, Color Purple, Young Frankenstein, In the Heights, Mary Poppins, West Side Story and Billy Elliot.

As an educator, Parton teaches Trumpet, Jazz History, Jazz Combos. He also performs with the Capital Brass Quintet and the faculty Jazz group "Spectrum." When Parton is not working in Columbus or Chicago you will often find him directing an All-State jazz band or contributing as a guest artist with many high school and college jazz programs throughout the country. He has presented concerts and clinics at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago, International Association of Jazz educators convention, JEN, MENC and many other music educator’s conventions.

The Rob Parton Big Band continues to thrive in Chicago at FitzGerald’s Nightclub. Although the band is not performing on a regular basis, it performs a handful of dates each year including special jazz festivals and concerts. In addition to live performing, Rob Parton has earned national and international accolades for his seven critically acclaimed compact discs on the Sea Breeze Jazz label. Rob Parton is currently working with Fred Powell of Powell Custom Trumpets, Karl Hammond of Hammond Design mouthpieces, and Wayne Tanabe and Bob Malone of Yamaha.