A1C Merk is a trumpet player with the United States Air Force Band of the West. He is a 2023 graduate of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where he earned a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies and Commercial Music Production. A1C Merk is an accomplished improviser, composer, and bandleader who has performed around the Midwest with the Charlie Merk Quartet and the Merk Brothers. His works have been performed by the Cincinnati Contemporary Jazz Orchestra and the Original Farm League Big Band. A1C Merk is a recipient of the Jazz Arts Group Hank Marr Award and was named an Outstanding Soloist at the 2022 Jazz at Lincoln Center Jack Rudin Jazz Championship.
Education:
2023 – Bachelor of Music, Jazz Studies and Commercial Music Production, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music
Assignments:
5 Apr 2024 – Present, Trumpet player, USAF Band of the West, JBSA Lackland, TX