Alicia Rau is never away from her trumpet for too long.
She’s fully dedicated to her beloved instrument, which she chose at a young age after falling in love with its confident, commanding sound and “zing." When she rode the full RAGBRAI route in Iowa for the first time in 2011, she brought her friend’s pocket trumpet with her so she wouldn’t fall out of practice.
The next year, her dad built her a custom mount so she could display it proudly on the back of her bike.
If the route was hilly, Rau wasn't intimidated. Instead, she saw steep summits as a “double work-out” for her lungs. She’d charge ahead of the group to the very top of the hill, where she’d straddle her bike between her legs, pull out her trumpet and play her peers motivational tunes, like the theme from Rocky.
"I have friends that would stop and pull off with me, and we just watch and see the way the whole swarming sea of riders speed up," she said on IPR's Talk of Iowa.
Her talents quickly earned her the nickname, “the Trumpet Chick."
Not only has Rau played across the state on the RABRAI route — she’s also played around the world, including in a Senegalese band one year while studying abroad. Today, she lives in Manhattan, where she plays with Lucy Kalantari & the Jazz Cats.
This year, the band is Grammy-nominated for their work on the Spanish-language children’s album, Creciendo.
It’s Rau’s first-ever nomination. She said when she received the group text announcing their placement, she could hardly believe it.
"I do get goosebumps quite a lot when I think about it," she admitted.
The band is nominated against some big-name competition, including John Legend for My Favorite Dream and Alice Cooper for Solid Rock Revival, but Rau said it's an honor no matter the result.
"It means a lot. It really does," she said.
She said playing in a children's band has been a rewarding experience.
"I love playing for all ages and all settings," she said. "I have plenty of gigs in clubs and bars and weddings — and those are fantastic. But to balance it a bit with playing... these morning gigs in museums and children's libraries and things — it just makes for a really great day when that's what I pick up my horn to do."
The 67th Annual Grammy Awards will be held Feb. 2. The winner of Rau's category is expected to be announced earlier in the day.
To hear this conversation, listen to Talk of Iowa, hosted by Charity Nebbe. Caitlin Troutman produced this episode.
