Mike Rocha(II)
- Music Department
- Actor
Los Angeles-based musician Mike Rocha first started playing the trumpet at age nine. While in high school Rocha performed with both the California All-State Honor Band and Jazz bands, won concerto competitions, toured Brazil with the Sacramento Youth Symphony as their principal trumpeter, and toured Japan with the Montgomery Next-Gen band as their lead trumpeter. Mike graduated Magna Cum Loude with a degree in Trumpet Performance from the Berklee College of Music. (He also has a master's degree in Trumpet performance and Composition from the California Institute of the Arts.) In the wake of graduating from college Rocha went on to tour with the Glenn Miller Orchestra as the band's jazz trumpeter throughout 2008. Among the notable artists that Mike has played for are Christina Aguilera, Bob Dylan, Gwen Stefani, Jeff Bernat, Postmodern Jukebox, the John Daversa Big Band, the Alan Chan Big Band, and the Vardan Ovsepian chamber ensemble. Moreover, Rocha has also taught trumpet at Occidental College, El Camino Community College, and MiraCosta Community College as well as has served as acting brass coach in Harvard-Westlake High School. In addition, Mike even co-leads the Lappit-Rocha septet which performs his original jazz compositions all over Los Angeles, California.