Artist Spotlight: Q&A with trumpeter and composer Cameron Pearce

Trumpeter and composer Cameron Pearce draws on colours from composers Aaron Copland, Steve Reich and Gabriel Fauré and trumpeters Kenny Wheeler and Ron Miles for his original works that he'll be touring with Symposium Brass as part of CMNZ's 2026 Season, Te Hiringa Oro - The Experience of sound.

We caught up with Cameron and had a chat about his creative process, the blossoming brass scene in Ōtautahi Christhchurch, and what he has on his travel playlists when he's on tour.

What are you most excited about for your upcoming tour with Chamber Music New Zealand?

Over the years, I’ve had many opportunities to perform throughout New Zealand but this will be the first time performing a programme made up solely of my compositions. I’m really looking forward to performing these pieces with this ensemble in some wonderful venues.

You’ll be travelling around the country a lot. What’s in your go-to travel soundtrack?

If I need something in a hurry I have a number of suitably incriminating 80’s playlists ready to go. Also, some Bruce Hornsby, James Taylor, Mark Knopfler or Vince Mendoza never disappoints on a road trip.

What do you draw inspiration from when you’re composing?

I’m really interested in harmonic structures and how they can be used to tap into various human emotions. I feel that melody writing and providing harmonic structure around these melodies is a strength of mine and is something that I’ve looked to develop further for this project.

Outside of the trumpet, what’s your favourite instrument?

I usually have a piano or keyboard close by as a part of my arranging and composing ‘set up’. I really enjoy ‘noodling’ on that whenever I get the chance. I have what are known as ‘arrangers piano chops’ which can give some people delusions of grandeur as some sort of pianist but I’ll most certainly be sticking to trumpet.

How do you hope the audience will feel when they see Symposium Brass?

My hope is that people will leave feeling refreshed having heard a collection of pieces that challenge the perception of what might be expected in regards to the repertoire for a brass ensemble performance.

What are you thinking about as you’re writing the new charts for this tour?

As always, there are some exceptional artists included in the upcoming CMNZ Series and I see it as a real privilege for Symposium Brass to be included in the programme. The upcoming tour has given me the opportunity to compose some new material for the group. This process is well underway and I am enjoying the chance to blend the current sound that we have developed thus far while also looking to introduce some new elements

How is it, do you think, that Ōtautahi has become the home of so many brass creatives?

Ōtautahi has a lot going on from a musical and creative standpoint and members of Symposium Brass are often in the thick of it featuring regularly in performances with the Christchurch Symphony, Symposium Jazz Dectet, the vibrant jazz community and the well-established musical theatre scene. The Christchurch music scene is a tightly knit community which often see a lot of cross pollination of performers across various and contrasting projects which constantly challenges and inspires us.

Symposium Brass will be touring Christchurch, Auckland, Napier, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Nelson, Wellington and Invercargill in 2026. You can book this, and more, through our 2026 Season.