Upon completion of his undergraduate studies at Arizona State University, Erik moved to Cleveland to study trumpet at the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM), where he was a student of the principal trumpet of the Cleveland Orchestra, Michael Sachs. While studying at CIM, Mr. Hasselquist was honored to receive the Bernard Adelstein Prize in Trumpet and the Dr. Calvin E. Weber Award in Trumpet. Erik was also honored to receive the Helen Curtis Webster Award, which is awarded to an outstanding graduate student at the Institute of Music from the Fortnightly Club of Cleveland, an award that had not been won by a wind player for the last twenty years. Mr. Hasselquist graduated from CIM in 2007 with an Artist’s Diploma.

In September of 2007, Erik won the position of 2nd/Utility Trumpet of the Canton Symphony, and continues to perform there as a tenured member of that orchestra. Mr. Hasselquist performs regularly with the Cleveland Orchestra, and has also been privileged to play with Opera Cleveland and the Baldwin-Wallace Bach Festival, the Akron Symphony, the Cleveland Pops, the Blossom Festival Band and Orchestra, the Mansfield Symphony, the Youngstown Symphony, and the Richmond (IN) Symphony, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the Bolshoi Ballet on tour in Arizona, the Arizona Ballet, the Symphony of the West Valley, and was the principal trumpet in the Desert Foothills Festival Orchestra in Pima Arizona from 2001-2005. He has perfomed for such conductors as Pierre Boulez, Franz-Welser Most, Leonard Slatkin, Nicholas McGegan, Bobby McFerrin, Gunther Schuller, Pinkas Zuckerman, Loras John Schissel, Benjamin Zander, and Alexander Kopilov.

Erik also teaches trumpet to his private studio in Cleveland Heights and Tremont, and is the founder of the Cleveland Brass Quintet and the Ohio Brass Ensembles.

Erik has a fan page on Facebook. Follow the link below to view that page and become a fan and receive periodic updates from Erik.