Wes Skidgel is an active freelance trumpet player in the Chicago area. He received his B.M. from Wheaton College and M.M. from DePaul University, both in trumpet performance. Wes is the principal trumpet of the Dubuque Symphony and held the same position with the Battle Creek Symphony until 2018. He has performed with many ensembles throughout the country; among them are the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the St Louis Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Sinfonietta, The Joffrey Ballet, the American Ballet, Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra, The Illinois Symphony, the Northwest Indiana Symphony, the Peoria Symphony, and the South Bend Symphony. In March 2011, Wes appeared as a soloist with the Dubuque Symphony performing both the Haydn trumpet concerto and Bach’s 2nd Brandenburg concerto. He also appeared as a soloist with the Battle Creek Symphony performing H.L. Clark’s Carnival of Venice.
