Our stories…

Vox Cor Trio

‘Vox Cor’ - Voice of the heart.

Instrumentalists (piano, trumpet and trombone) explore classical vocal music, aiming to share emotional journeys and stories without lyrics.

Vox Cor Trio was originally formed for the project ‘Without A Word’ by Mika Komuro.

Mika Komuro

Pianist, founder and artistic director

Japanese pianist, Mika Komuro is a versatile artist who is internationally performing as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral player.

She made her solo debut in Tokyo in 2007 as well as her concerto debut with George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra in Bucharest, Romania in 2010. She made her first London appearance as a soloist at Steinway Hall in 2013. The same year, she was selected as a soloist to perform at Wiener Saal in Salzburg. She brought her solo career to the United States and gave her first solo recital in Cincinnati, OH in 2023. Also she was a soloist at the Caroga Lake Music Festival, NY in 2024.

Aside from her solo career, Mika is very active as a chamber musician. Her collaborative partners include trumpeter Ashley Hall-Tighe, trombonist Peter Ellefson and bass trombonist John Rojak, with whom she premiered the piano reduction of the Kenneth Fuchs Bass trombone concerto in 2019. In the same year Mika played piano trio with string principals of Czech Philharmonic Orchestra on a concert tour in Japan. She has performed with mezzo soprano Catherine Keen and Grammy Award winner Michel Legrand with whom Mika was double soloists on a tour of France and Denmark in 2015. In addition, she has collaborated with the principal players of Bruckner Orchestra, Linz, Aalborg Symphony Orchestra in Denmark,Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Charleston Symphony Orchestra, Japan Philharmonic Orchestra and more. Mika was a pianist of the Odense Symphony Orchestra in Denmark during the 2014-2015 season. In 2025 she was the official pianist for International Women’s Brass Conference in Hartford, CT.

With her strong passion for chamber music, she founded Vox Cor Trio in 2022.

Mika is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music in London, UK and also prize winner of national and international competitions such as All Nippon Junior Competition, The 2nd Romantic Music Competition, The 3rd Burckhardt International Competition and others.

She received her Master’s from Kingston University, UK and also diploma in piano performance from Mozarteum University Summer Academy in Salzburg, Austria.

Dr. George Carpten, IV

Trumpet

Dr. Carpten recently was appointed as Assistant Professor of Trumpet at Pennsylvania State University. Previously, he served as Assistant Professor of Trumpet at Ohio University and Northern Kentucky University.

A native of Memphis, Tennessee, he received his Bachelor’s of Music from The University of Tennessee-Knoxville. He earned his Master's of Music from The Pennsylvania State University and his Doctor of Musical Arts in Trumpet Performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM).

As a committed educator, Dr. Carpten presents masterclasses and solo recitals domestically and internationally. Recent masterclasses and recitals include the following: Louisiana State University, Kansas State University, University of Kentucky, Arkansas State University, University of Maine, Pennsylvania State University, Valdosta State University, University of Louisville among others. Dr. Carpten also serves a guest faculty artist at the annual University of Kentucky Summer Trumpet Institute and Corfu International Trumpet Festival in Corfu, Greece.

In addition to teaching, Dr. Carpten maintains an active performing schedule in both the orchestra and jazz/commercial settings. Currently, he serves as the Principal Trumpet in the Altoona Symphony. Other professional ensembles he has performed with include: The Cincinnati Symphony and Pops Orchestra, Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, Springfield Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Contemporary Jazz Orchestra, Original Farm League Jazz Band, Seven Hills Brass Ensemble, West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Knoxville Jazz Orchestra, The Temptations, The Four Tops, and the American Wind Symphony.

Dr. Carpten is a member of the International Trumpet Guild and currently serves as the editor of the ITG Profile Column for the quarterly journal and the ITG Jazz Competition Chair. He also has served in various committees and as an adjudicator for the National Trumpet Competition, ITG Youth, and ITG Solo trumpet competitions.

His main teachers include Dr. Cathy Leach, Dr. Langston Fitzgerald, Dr. Scott Belck, Alan Siebert, and Phil Collins. Additional studies with Vance Thompson, Chris Kiradjieff, and Matt Ernst.

Dr. Carpten is an endorsing artist for Bach Trumpets and Greg Black Mouthpieces.

David Roode

Trombone

David studied music at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Duquesne University, where he obtained a BA in Trombone Performance in 2001. From 2002 – 2007, David was 2nd Trombonist with the Memphis Symphony, and during that time he was a frequent guest musician with the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, Florida.

In 2007 a desire to study abroad led David to the United Kingdom, where he completed a PG Diploma at the Royal Academy of Music in London. After graduating from the Academy, David worked with many leading orchestras in Britain, including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Hallé, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Ballet and Scottish Chamber Orchestra. He also worked with the Gävle Symphony Orchestra in Sweden, Europa Philharmonie in Germany and played three summer seasons with the AIMS Festival Orchestra in Graz, Austria.

For the 2014-2015 season, David was 2nd Solo Trombonist with the Odense Symphony Orchestra in Denmark, and during his time there, he also worked as an extra musician with the Aalborg Symphony, the Aarhus Sinfonietta and the Royal Danish Opera in Copenhagen.

Since returning to the United States, David has regularly worked with orchestras such as the Cincinnati Symphony, Columbus Symphony Orchestra (OH), Rochester Philharmonic, Buffalo Philharmonic, Charleston Symphony (SC), Dayton Philharmonic and West Virginia Symphony Orchestra.

Alongside his wife, Japanese pianist Mika Komuro, he has given lectures, masterclasses and recitals at the Southern Danish Music Conservatory in Odense, Denmark, Ohio Wesleyan University, Troy University (Alabama), University of Tennessee Knoxville, the University of Memphis and University of Mississippi. He is currently principal trombonist of the South Bend Symphony Orchestra, an associate musician of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, and 2nd trombonist with the Des Moines Metro Opera, as well as a member of Vox Cor Trio.