Biography
Based in the San Franciso Bay Area, Fred Munic is an orchestral and freelance trumpet player, chamber musician and teacher. He performs with local orchestras, wind ensembles, jazz bands and pit orchestras for musicals and operas. Recently Mr. Munic was named as the principal trumpet of the Mill Valley Philharmonic, has been a featured soloist with the West Valley Jazz Band and has been the principal trumpet of the San Jose State Orchestra.
Fred has performed as a member of the SJSU Wind Ensemble, Disrupt (a modern music ensemble), Collegium (baroque music on natural trumpet). He has also appeared with the Mission Chamber Orchestra, the Peninsula Symphony and the San Francisco British Brass Band. Fred has played in numerous shows such as “Little shop of horrors”, “Sweeny Todd”, “Into the Woods” and “La Curandera”.
Fred is a member of the West Valley College faculty as their trumpet instructor and he teaches at the Almaden Academy of Music in San Jose.
Fred Munic’s love for music and the trumpet started in 1970’s Chicago where he had the rare and wonderful opportunity to study with John Cvejanovich, the first alternate trumpet to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO). While Mr. Munic chose to not pursue a career in music, his love of music remained a source of comfort and inspiration his whole life. In 2018, he retired from his 37-year career as an engineer to undertake a formal music education. In May of 2023, Fred Munic received his Master of Music in trumpet performance from San Jose State University. He also holds an AA in trumpet performance from West Valley College.
Fred is currently studying with Mr. David Burkhart of the San Francisco Conservatory. He also studied for seven years with John Freeman (professor of trumpet at SJSU). He also studied various specialties including jazz (Jeff Lewis and John Worley), lead trumpet (Stephan Kuehn) and baroque / natural trumpet (William Harvey).