Trumpeter William Vacchiano dies

Vacchiano's students included Wynton Marsalis and Miles Davis

William Vacchiano, principal trumpet for the New York Philharmonic for 31 years, has died at the age of 93.

The musician, who left the orchestra in 1973, continued to teach until 2002 at Juilliard, where his students included Wynton Marsalis and Miles Davis.

Lee Soper, a former student and friend, said that there were "only a handful of trumpet players in any major orchestra who haven't taken a lesson from him".

He died on Monday at New York's Cabrini Medical Center of respiratory failure.

Born in Portland, Maine, Vacchiano started taking trumpet lessons at the age of eight and began playing in the Portland Symphony Orchestra when he was 14.

'Integrity'

After attending the Juilliard School in New York, he joined the Philharmonic's trumpet section in 1935.

He joined the teaching staff at Juilliard the same year, going on to teach 2,000 students over the course of 67 years.

Julliard president Joseph W Polisi described Vacchiano as "one of the longest serving faculty members in the history of the School".

He was, Mr Polisi added, "a person of impeccable musical integrity and great humanity, revered and loved by his students and friends".

A trumpet ensemble will play at his funeral on Saturday at the Church of the Holy Family in Queens, New York.