Colin McClure is a trumpeter, composer, and arranger based in New York City. One of today’s promising young musical voices, McClure strives to create innovative works that push musical boundaries and challenge the status quo.

McClure has worked extensively with the Southern
California-based funk/soul band, The Soul Beacons, having recorded four albums: Dark Meat, Saddle Up, Birds and the Bees, and Alligator Boogaloo, which are available for purchase through Magnet Recordings (magnetrecordings.com). McClure has also recorded soundtracks for the short films In This Moment (2024), All of My Feelings (2024), and Sick Joke (2023). He has performed live with Arturo O’Farrill, Dream Orchestra Los Angeles, LA-based modern jazz ensemble Continuance, and in an NFL halftime show for the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium, as well
as alongside Gwen Stefani and the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl.

He has recieved numerous awards for artistic and academic excellence, including the Elaine Krown Klein Fine Arts Scholarship, the Herb Alpert Foundation Jazz Scholarship, the UCLA Dean’s Medal, and a 2021 Max H. Gluck Foundation Fellowship.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, he completed his undergraduate studies at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, where he graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Global Jazz Studies. While at UCLA, McClure’s voice blossomed under the mentorship of prolific contemporary artists Dr. James Ford III, Daniel Rosenboom, Terence Blanchard, and Arturo O’Farrill.

After completing his undergraduate studies, McClure moved to New York City to pursue his master’s degree at The New School and is currently studying with trumpeters Peter Evans and Dave Douglas, as well as continuing his mentorship with pianist/composer Arturo O’Farrill.