Sergeant First Class Jeremy Wissner, from Elkton, Michigan, earned both a Bachelor of Music and Master of Music in trumpet performance from Western Michigan University. He was a member of and soloist for the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps and was a founding educator for the Legends Drum & Bugle Corps of Kalamazoo, Michigan. Prior to joining the Hellcats in 2010, he was active as a freelance trumpeter in the Kalamazoo area, performing with the Southwest Michigan Symphony, the West Shore Symphony Orchestra, the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre, and the summer stock Equity house, “The Barn Theatre,” in Augusta, Michigan. He spent a year as a table games dealer at a casino in Michigan and now uses these abilities to deal for charity events held annually at West Point. He also enjoys running and has run both the Army 10-miler and the Marine Corps Marathon as part of Team Fisher House, which supports injured soldiers and their families on the road to recovery.
Staff Sergeant Brian Eib is originally from West Bloomfield, Michigan, and joined the West Point Band in 2015. He spent the first two years of his military career with the 282nd Band at Fort Jackson. Staff Sergeant Eib received two full scholarships en route to his bachelor's degree in music performance from Western Michigan University, where he performed with the Russell Brown Honors Brass Quintet. He received his master's degree from University of California, Los Angeles, where he performed with the Gluck Brass Quintet. His primary instructors on the trumpet include Scott Thornburg, Dr. Stephen Jones, and Jens Lindemann. He was a member of the 2001 world champion Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps, playing lead soprano at the age of 16. In 2006, he toured the People’s Republic of China as principal trumpet of the WMU Symphonic Band. That same year, he was also a winner of the Adrian Boyer Concerto Competition at the Bay View Music Festival in Bay View, Michigan.
Staff Sergeant Gillian Huff joined the West Point Band in 2017 as a Hellcat Bugler. A native of Snellville, Georgia, she graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education in 2014 and she completed her Master of Music in Trumpet Performance in 2016 at Northwestern University. While at NU, she attended the Chautauqua Music Festival and the Brevard Music Center, both on full scholarships. Soon after graduation, she won the 2nd Trumpet Position with the Lansing Symphony Orchestra and continued to freelance in the greater Chicago area.
As a member of the West Point band, Staff Sergeant Huff has subbed in the West Point Concert Band, joined the Army Trumpet Ensemble, and is currently serving as Principal Player in the Hellcats Bugle Section. She continues to freelance in the greater Hudson Valley area in her spare time, maintains a small trumpet studio, and is a regular musician with the Greater Newburgh Symphony Orchestra, as well as other local orchestras.
Her solo endeavors have won her Second Prize in the North International Music Competition, and a finalist position in Orchestra Noir’s 2018 Medallion International Concerto Competition. Staff Sergeant Huff has also begun adjudicating competitions as trumpet artist and judge for the 2020 Next Generation Trumpet Competition.
Staff Sergeant Daniel Haddock, a native of Decatur, Alabama, joined the West Point Band in 2018. He was the winner of both the International Trumpet Guild Solo and National Federation of Music Clubs Student Collegiate Brass Competitions, additionally being selected as a national prizewinner for the Music Teachers National Association Young Artist Brass Competition. As an orchestral player, Staff Sergeant Haddock has performed with the Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra, Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, and Panama City Pops. He has also previously performed in music festivals at the Round Top Festival Institute and Brevard Music Center. Prior to joining the Hellcats, he earned a Bachelor of Music from Auburn University and pursued graduate studies in trumpet performance at Florida State University. Staff Sergeant Haddock’s primary teachers include Nancy Taylor, Dr. Mark DeGoti, and Dr. Christopher Moore.
Originally a native of Jacksonville, Florida, Staff Sergeant Stephen joined the West Point Band in December 2019. She began her Army career in 2018, in the First Cavalry Division Band at Fort Hood Texas. Prior to serving, she received her Bachelor’s of Music from Florida State University in 2015, and a Master’s of Music and Chamber Music from the University of Michigan in 2017. During her collegiate studies, Sergeant Stephen competed numerous times as a soloist and chamber musician at the National Trumpet Competition, winning first place in the ensemble category in 2017. Before enlisting in 2018, Sergeant Stephen freelanced in the Southeast Michigan area, teaching trumpet and performing with groups such as the Ann Arbor Symphony and Lansing Symphony Orchestra. Her primary teachers include Dr. Christopher Moore and Bill Campbell.
Staff Sergeant Judy Gaunt, originally from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, joined the West Point Band in September of 2020. She received her Bachelor of Music from Florida State University in 2016, and a Master of Music from the University of Minnesota in 2019. In 2016, Staff Sergeant Gaunt won third place in the Undergraduate Solo Division of the National Trumpet Competition. During her undergraduate studies, she performed with regional orchestras, including Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra. Before joining the Hellcats, she enjoyed freelancing in the Twin Cities, performing with groups such as The Twin Cities Latin Jazz Orchestra and frequently subbing with the Minnesota Orchestra. Staff Sergeant Gaunt’s primary teachers include Dr. Christopher Moore, Dr. David Baldwin, and Charles Lazarus.
