Born and raised in Rochester, NY, I grew up with a life that primarily consisted of music and Judaism. I started playing trumpet at the age of nine, and guitar by the age of eleven. When I was thirteen I started gigging professionally, and I became the youngest member and only female instrumentalist of the Greater Rochester Jazz Orchestra when I was seventeen. I graduated with a Bachelor’s in Music Business from Nazareth College, focusing on jazz trumpet. I have played with so many amazing people and groups, including Cinnamon Jones, Teressa Wilcox, Steve Lyons, Subsoil, Natalie B, Joe Beard, Danielle Ponder, the Isotopes, Orquestra Antonetti, and many other groups and artists. I opened for Eddie Money at Lilac Festival as well as Blues Traveler (but long after the 90s). I worked as a nanny for most of my adult life, but officially retired from childcare in 2019. I’ve studied with some of the best trumpet players in the world, and honed my skills and technique with a strong passion for jazz and latin. I love teaching and performing, anywhere and any time. One of my most rewarding experiences was being a long-term sub for concert band at the School of the Arts in the Rochester City School District, and assisted with directing their jazz ensembles.
I spent seven years living in different cities such as New York City, Austin, TX, back to New York City, and traveling around the country in an RV during the peak times of COVID. I am currently back in Rochester, where I am gigging as a freelance musician, writing and composing for a few new projects, and collaborating with my incredibly talented friends. In addition to running Champion Music, I am also teaching piano, trumpet, and guitar for the Costello School of Music at House of Guitars. I also spend time volunteering for Open Door Mission when I can, work out and strength train, boxing, go to art classes with my dad, organize concerts and recitals for Costello Music, playing music with my boyfriend (and great guitarist) Dan Morris, and advocate the Parkinson’s Foundation in honor of my late mother, Linda Champion. I love teaching the next generation of Rochester musicians and supporting the local music scene.