Raymond Deleon

Raymond Deleon started playing the trumpet at the age of six under the guidance of his father, Abelardo Deleon. He had his first solo performance accompanied by a concert band at the age of nine and since then he has been featured as a premier soloist in several bands and orchestras.

He has won three 1st Prize awards in the National Music Competition for Young Artists (NAMCYA) in Manila, Philippines. He was a semi-finalist in the 1st Calvia International Trumpet Competition in Mallorca, Spain in 2003. He was a 3rd Prize in the International Trumpet Guild solo competition that was held in New Jersey in 2006 and a Grand Prize winner of the Seattle Philharmonic Don Bushell Concerto Competition in 2011. Raymond has performed and toured in Europe, U.S., and Asia with the Asian Youth Orchestra in 1998 and 1999. He performed as a principal trumpet with the Southeast Asian Youth Orchestra in 2003 and 2004. He played as a principal trumpet with the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra. He also worked as a recording artist with Global Recording Orchestra, a leading recording company in the Philippines, under the baton of Maestro Gerard Salonga.

He studied at the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music where he became a recipient of the Benavidez Award, twice, for International Excellence in Music. He completed his Music Performance Degree at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington.

He has served and performed as a soloist in the U.S. Army with the 56th Army Band stationed at Joint Base Lewis – McChord in Washington.

He attributes his musicianship from collaborating with great trumpet players in the likes of Roger Llado, former principal trumpet of the Philippine Philharmonic; Edwin Deleon, trumpet soloist and 1st Sergeant U.S. Army; Edmund Cord, former principal trumpet of the Israel Philharmonic, David Gordon, principal trumpet of Seattle Symphony Orchestra; and Hakan Hardenberger, international trumpet.