C.J. Camerieri, a Brooklyn-based trumpet player, enjoys an active, diverse, and exciting career as a freelance performer and multi-instrumentalist. Since completing his classical trumpet training at Juilliard, he has become an indispensable collaborator for numerous indie rock groups as a performer, arranger, improviser, and soloist. C.J. can presently be heard touring the world and on record with Bon Iver, yMusic, GOASTT, and the Plastic Ono Band.
As a member of Bon Iver C.J. participated in arranging and performing on the multiple Grammy award winning record Bon Iver, Bon Iver. He is has been touring the world with the band playing Trumpet, French Horn, and Synthesizers since early 2012.
As a co-founder of the indie classical ensemble yMusic, C.J. has taken part in commissioning several new chamber music pieces for its critically lauded first record Beautiful Mechanical.
As a member of GOASTT and the Plastic Ono band Camerieri has developed his own style of playing the trumpet through guitar pedal effects. Camerieri's longest standing collaboration is with Sufjan Stevens as the lead soloist in his horn section on trumpet, as a french horn player, and as a keyboard player since joining his ensemble for a Lincoln Center "American Songbook" performance in January of 2006. In addition to recording on "Songs for Christmas Volume V: Peace," Camerieri performs with Sufjan on Nonesuch Records' "Tribute to Joni Mitchell" and the soundtrack to Todd Haynes' film, "I'm Not There."
As a member of Rufus Wainwright's band, Camerieri has played trumpet solos and sung background vocals across the world on stage, television and radio including performances at Radio City Music Hall, the Coachella and Glastonbury Festivals, and on the "Late Show with David Letterman". He is featured with Rufus on the live DVD "Milwaukee At Last!!!" and on "War Child: Heroes." Camerieri appears with Rufus and family annually in the Mcgarrigle Christmas hour and recently recorded on trumpet and french horn with Martha Wainwright singing the songs of Edith Piaf.
In addition to his work in popular and alternative music, Camerieri maintains an active career as a freelance performer of classical music, new music, and improvised music. He has recently been named Principal Trumpet of the American Composer's Orchestra and frequently performs with the Orchestra of St. Luke's, New York City Ballet, Riverside Symphony, Brooklyn Philharmonic, Lincoln Center Festival Orchestra, Absolute Ensemble, Paragon Ragtime Orchestra, Manhattan Brass and the Argento New Music Ensemble. As a soloist C.J. performed a concerto in 2000 with the Juilliard Orchestra that the NY Times declared a "brilliant performance" and he placed first that same year in the National Trumpet Competition's Jazz Division.
Camerieri’s discography includes current and forthcoming releases by Bon Iver, yMusic, GOASTT, Sufjan Stevens, Rufus Wainwright, David Byrne, Antony and the Johnsons, Martha Wainwright, Loudon Wainwright III, Gabriel Kahane, The National, Julia Stone, Angus Stone, A Fine Frenzy, Jesse Harris, Baby Dee, Diane Birch, Joan Osbourne, Sean Lennon, Yuka Honda, Harper Simon, Clare and the Reasons, Welcome Wagon, Anthony Coleman, Argento New Music Ensemble and the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra.