Trumpet and Conch Shell Player - Remote Recording Studio and Live Playing
- Don Chilton - Trumpet and Conch Shell Player
Video and Film Releases
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News Highlights
Heart Escaping a Shell - Official Video
NikMartken and Don Chilton unite for an instrumental alternative folk journey in their new single. Haunting conch melodies blend with didgeridoo, driving drums, handpan and guitar, crafting an eclectic immersive soundscape.
Let the music transport you!
Row of Life - Documentary
Row of Life made its world premiere at the Santa Barbra International Film Festival on February 9, 2025 and was nominated for Best Documentary at the Cleveland International Film Festival. Stay tuned for showings at a theater near you.
This upcoming full-length documentary features Don Chilton's conch shell playing collaborative work with LA based film composer, James Newbury.
Queen Conch Hatchery Documentary
“To safeguard the conch is to preserve the symphony of the ocean. A symphony where each note, each creature contributes to the greater harmony.” - Queen of the Seas: a Queen Conch Hatchery Documentary.
The Queen Conch Hatchery documentary is a 32-minute educational video about the important work being done to help save the Queen Conch population.
The film features Don Chilton's composition "Seashell Serenade" and includes a cameo performance and professional recognition.
Where the Crawdads Sing
The sound of Don Chilton's conch shell music is featured throughout the motion picture soundtrack of Reese Witherspoon's production of Where the Crawdads Sing composed by Oscar and Golden Globe winning film score composer Mychael Danna.
PETRICHOR ((whomp whomp))
Don Chilton's conch shell and didgeridoo music is featured along with several other local Rhode Island artists in Molly Sexton's Exhibition: PETRICHOR ((whomp whomp)). The exhibition premiered on November 4, 2022. A number of the pieces are still on view at Blink Gallery in Newport, RI.
Molly continues to create these beautiful works as a part of the original series. They can be seen at her Miracle Stone Studio at the LaFarge Arts Center located at the Newport Congregational Church in Newport, Rhode Island.
Molly’s exhibition is a visual and auditory immersive experience. The exhibit includes works of acrylic paint on reclaimed 1880's slate roof tiles and the "Whomp Machine," a sound installation within one of her images on canvas.
DON CHILTON is a professional trumpeter and conch shell player based in Newport, Rhode Island. Following a distinguished 26-year career as a U.S. Navy trumpet instrumentalist Don has become known for his playing of various seashell horns. Don Chilton can be heard as a soloist playing his conch shells throughout the soundtrack of Reese Witherspoon's production of Where the Crawdads Sing composed by Oscar and Golden Globe winner, Mychael Danna. His original music and arrangements can be heard on Spotify, YouTube Video, Apple Music and other streaming platforms worldwide.
Don is in high demand with several live bands; including Down City Band and The Amy Winehouse Project. He is available for remote recording from his home studio collaborating with artists around the world. He also records and releases his own compositions and arrangements. Don has performed at the Newport Jazz Festival and with many great musicians including William Cepeda, Crocodile River Music, The Temptations, Barrington "Bo" Henderson, Theo Peoples, Danny Klein's Full House, Brooke Shields, Mike Mossman, Greg Abate and many more. He is a long time member and leader of the Larry Brown Swinglane Orchestra.
Don Chilton completed his teacher certification at the University of Rhode Island and is the band director and general music teacher at Thompson Middle School in Newport, Rhode Island.