On Feb. 19, university students and members of the Winston-Salem community packed Brendle Recital Hall in anticipation of Alison Balsom, a critically acclaimed British trumpet player.

Her audience was so large, three extra rows of chairs had to be placed on the stage to accommodate the full house.

After having been to numerous concerts during my time at the university, I was greatly surprised by the community's interest in this particular concert and anxiously awaited its start.

Only moments after Balsom began her first piece, I knew why she had gained so much attention.

Her technique was flawless and her tone was so pure it sounded as though she was singing.

That night, Balsom's two hour performance literally took my breath away.

Balsom began playing the trumpet at an early age and has played for some of Britain's most prestigious orchestras over the years.

This year she was named best Young British Performer at the Classical Brit Awards and was appointed visiting professor of the trumpet to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

She performs with a small ensemble consisting of Grammy-nominated violinist Jesse Mills, cellist Raman Ramakrishnan and pianist Benjamin Hochnan. The first piece that this group played was J.S. Bach's version of Vivaldi's Concerto in D Major, originally written for the violin but arranged for the trumpet and organ.

The first movement, Allegro, was incredibly powerful and festive and was a strong introduction to what was to come throughout the concert.

The second movement was a softer, slower movement. Her style was so smooth that for a moment, if I closed by eyes, I forgot that I was at a trumpet concert altogether, but rather listening to a soothing vocalist.

The final movement returned to the high energy of the first but with a much lighter, lively tone.

The second piece, entitled Concerto in E-flat for Trumpet and Strings was composed by Johann Baptist Neruda. Neruda was a Czech composer who wrote over 100 works primarily for the Corno da Caccia, or the "hunting horn".

This piece was very similar to the first, also consisting of three movements alternating between upbeat and longer tones. Balsom's ability to draw the audience's attention was phenomenal.

Her attention to phrase length and dynamics was incredible and made the audience wonder what was coming next.

The first half of the concert completed with Trumpet Sonata in D major, Z 850 by Henry Purcell, the first English composer to write music for the trumpet, and Suite in D Major, HWV 349 by George Frederick Handel.

The latter is commonly known as "the Water Music Suite" and was written as a peace offering for the king.

After a brief intermission, the second half of the concert moved away from the classical pieces and into the 20th century with more modern trumpet pieces.

While the first half of the concert focused more on tone quality, the second half showed off Balsom's incredible technique.

The first piece, Concert Etude in G Minor for Trumpet O. 49 by Alexander Goedicke, showcased a technique called double-tonguing which allows for the artist to rapidly articulate notes.

This appears in the next piece, Legende by George Enescu, as well, but increases in difficulty with triple-tonguing throughout long chromatic runs.

Seven Spanish Folk Songs by Maneul de Falla was next in the program. Each of the seven movements represented various regions of Spain.

Each also expressed an emotion such as the joy and pains of love or the comfort in a mother's lullaby, all of which Balsom evoked through her sound.

The final two pieces, both by Ástor Piazzolla, were entitled Oblivion and Libertango.

Oblivion was composed in the tango medium, however, this is not its traditional form.

Instead, it is considered Nuevo Tango and contains noticeable elements of classical and jazz.

The piece contained a great deal of dissonance that created an eerie feeling reverberating off the walls of the recital hall. Overall, I feel that Balsom was one of the most talented musicians I have ever seen. I feel privileged to have been able to see such a wonderful concert.

It was such an honor to have been in the presence of such a passionate artist. But please, most definitely do not solely take my opinion on her playing skills.

Visit www.alisonbalsom.com to watch videos from her performances and get information about her recent awards and CDs.