Biography

SSG Francis LaPorte has been a member of "Pershing's Own" since 2023. He has earned degrees from the Colburn School of Music, Rice University, and McGill University. He was principal trumpet of the Austin Symphony Orchestra during the 2021-2022 season while studying at Rice. Francis was a Music Academy of the West Fellow '17 '18 and '19, and a winner of the Music Academy of the West Keston-MAX 2018 exchange program. He has performed with the London Symphony Orchestra, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra, and the Austin Symphony Orchestra. His principal teachers include Barbara Butler, Charlie Geyer, Jim Wilt, Jim Pandolfi, Paul Merkelo, and Richard Stoelzel.