Biography

Trumpeter, producer, arranger, and educator Dontae Winslow is an in-demand freelance musician with a background in classical, jazz, and contemporary R&B. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Winslow was raised in the hardscrabble Coppins Heights neighborhood. Despite some early adversity, he stayed focused on music, studying trumpet from age twelve and attending The Baltimore School for the Arts, along with fellow classmates rapper Tupac Shakur and actress Jada Pinkett Smith. After high school, Winslow moved to New York City where he enrolled at the New School and was mentored by trumpet star Roy Hargrove. Ultimately, Winslow earned a Bachelor's in Classical Music Performance from the Peabody Conservatory of the John's Hopkins University, and went on to receive his Master's degree in European Classical Music Performance. In 1997, Winslow was a semifinalist in the Thelonious Monk International Trumpet Competition. A year later, he released his debut solo album, Ballads. As a performer, Winslow has racked up credits with such luminaries as Wynton Marsalis, Milt Jackson, Clark Terry, the Roots, and others. His skills as both a player and arranger have also garnered him work touring and recording with a bevy of artists from across the musical spectrum including such names as Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Gary Bartz, and many more. Inspired by his own upbringing, Winslow is an avid proponent of children's education. He explored this theme on his second album, Change a Life...Change the World, for which he won the Grand Prize in Children's Music in the 2002 John Lennon Songwriting contest for his song "I Love School." When not touring with other artists, Winslow performs regularly with his wife, vocalist Mashica, in their band Winslow Dynasty. The duo released their debut, Life Album, in 2012, and in 2014, they returned with their sophomore release, Enter the Dynasty. ~ Matt Collar, Rovi