Erika Schafer

Erika Schafer is a Professor of Trumpet at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) in the College of Fine Arts, Department of Music. She performs with the Chattanooga Symphony and Fountain City Brass Band, and has presented masterclasses at the University of Chile and Catholic University of Chile. Dr. Schafer co-founded the Fuze Trio, an ensemble-in-residence at East Carolina University's North Carolina NewMusic Initiative, and is certified in Suzuki Method brass instruction.

• Recipient of the 2024 University of Tennessee Alumni Association Public Service Award
• Hosted Trumpet Festival of the Southeast (2014) and major guest artists including Thomas Hooten and Anthony Plog
• Former member of United States Navy Band (first female trumpeter in Concert Band), McLean Symphony Orchestra, and Folger Consort

Her teaching interests include trumpet pedagogy, brass methods, jazz survey courses, and African American music. She maintains an active performance schedule across classical, jazz, and brass chamber music genres.