At six years old, all she could do was drag an old trumpet around the house. Six years later, Natalie Dungey from Issaquah is a two-time champion of the National Trumpet Competition junior division.

Young Natalie has rocked the trumpet music world, in those six years.
She has been featured on television in Washington, D.C., and heard on National Public Radio's "From the Top" with Christopher O'Riley.

This spring, she will be a featured soloist with the Indiana Wind Symphony in Indianapolis and appear at the Great American Brass Band Festival in Danville, Ky.
Later this summer, she will be O'Riley's special guest at the Britt Festival in historic Jacksonville, Ore., and will be seen at Festival Amadeus in Whitefish, Mont.

Before all of that, though, local audiences will have an opportunity to hear Dungey perform with the Northwest Symphony Orchestra in Burien.

NWSO will present a special Celebrate America concert, Saturday, April 30 at 8 p.m. at the Highline Performing Arts Center, 401 S. 152nd St., featuring the enchanting musicianship of this twelve-year-old Seattle-area trumpet prodigy.

"We are thrilled to have Natalie join us again," said music director Anthony Spain. "She has totally impressed the trumpet world with her extraordinary skills and finesse with her instrument."

Natalie will play the very lyrically enchanting "Prayer of Saint Gregory" to help us celebrate the 100th birthday anniversary of Northwest composer Alan Hovhaness," Spain said.

Dungey appeared with the Northwest Symphony Orchestra two years together with alternative band Eisley in a benefit performance for Seattle Children's, at Benaroya Hall, and reprised her performance there last year.

Master trumpeter Professor Vincent DiMartino of Centre College and the Cincinnati Pops says of Dungey: "She is very extraordinary."

"I'm really excited to play with the Northwest Symphony again," said Dungey. "My father is the principal trumpet for the Symphony, and I will be the guest soloist for one piece and play side-by-side with him on the Dvorak "New World Symphony" later."

Philip Dungey was her first teacher. "I resisted starting her too early," he said. "I felt that wouldn't be good."

"But when she started teaching herself, I decided there really wasn't any reason putting it off any longer."

Natalie has also studied with Adam Rapa, solo artist and lead trumpet for the Broadway show "Blast."
She has had an opportunity to play with several other teachers as well, including DeMartino and Vladislav Lavrik, principal trumpet of the Russian National Orchestra.

Natalie has her own website, as you'd expect, and an online search yields more than two hundred hits on her name, but outside the concert hall, she's just an ordinary twelve year old.

Natalie says she's into school, reading, shopping, nail polish, her friends, and practicing yoga all around the house.

Tickets for the concert are $10 for students and senior citizens and $14 for adults. Tickets are available on the Web at www.brownpapertickets.com or by calling Brown Paper Tickets at 800-838-3006. Tickets are available at the box office on concert night.

Northwest Symphony Orchestra makes complimentary student tickets available to school music programs. Teachers may call the orchestra office at 206-242-6321.