Announcing the Trinity College of Music Brass Experience 2009 featuring Portuguese tuba player Sérgio Carolino as Artist in Residence.  This is the sixth year of the week-long festival at Trinity which aims to highlight brass playing of all genres and this year features a diversity of music from Early to Jazz.  It’s a great opportunity to experience a wide range of brass performances from talented players of all ages, and with many events free, it won’t break the bank. 

The festival opens at Blackheath Halls on the February 23, 6pm with the high profile Philip Jones Brass Competition.  Open to all TCM Brass Ensembles, the competition is named after ex-Trinity Principal and trumpeter Philip Jones CBE, founder of the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble.  The festival celebrates his life and groundbreaking work which paved the way for the modern brass ensemble experience.  The performance will be a vibrant mix of diverse brass groups playing everything from baroque to pop under the watchful eye of adjudicator Sérgio Carolino (admission free).

On February 24 at 1.05pm the Old Royal Naval College Chapel at Trinity College of Music’s home – the resplendent baroque Old Royal Naval College - will echo with the sounds of early brass as the TCM Early Music Brass Ensemble present Venice in Greenwich.  Come along to hear cornetto, sackbut and natural trumpet players under the direction of Richard Thomas (admission free).

February 25 is a day of Tuba and Low Brass at Blackheath Halls with Sérgio Carolino providing a public masterclass at 10am and joining Trinity brass students in a concert at 7pm.  The concert will also feature Oren Marshall and George Wall (tuba & euphonium), Carol Jarvis and Roger Argente (trombone) (tickets £10 conc. £7).

On Feb 26 at 7.30pm Blackheath Halls will host a celebration of brass playing - the Trinity College of Music Brass Massive 2009.  The evening will feature Bernstein’s Prelude, Fugue and Riffs and J.S.Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor arranged by Eric Crees.  Performers include the TCM Symphonic Brass Ensemble conducted by Tom Hammond, Sérgio Carolino and the winners of the Philip Jones Brass Competition (tickets £10 conc. £7).

The festival closes at Oliver’s Wine Bar in Greenwich on the 27 Feb at 9pm with a Jazz Evening featuring Oren Marshall, Sérgio Carolino and TCM Jazz students.  Admission is free.

Portuguese Sérgio Carolino teaches tuba and chamber music at ESMAE - the Superior School of Music & Performing Arts in Oporto, Portugal and, since 2002, has been principal tuba with the Oporto National Orchestra. In 2007, he recorded his first solo, live CD, Steel aLive! - considered to be a masterpiece in the international tuba scene.

International trumpetist, Graham Ashton, gives the world premiere of Roger Steptoe's new Sonata for trumpet and organ in the National Cathedral, Washington DC, on 25th January 2009. Distinguished young Washington Cathedral organist, Christopher Jacobson, will also play Louis Vierne's 'Gargouilles et Chimere' and Edward Bairstow's Sonata for organ. Steptoe's new work will later be heard in New York City, on a national French tour and will be recorded for Signum Classics. Graham Ashton is Professor of trumpet and Chair of Brass at Purchase College, State University of New York. Of Steptoe's new sonata, he says: "Roger Steptoe is such a skillful composer who knows exactly how to write for all the brass instruments. I premiered Roger’s first brass quintet, 'Triptych', when we were both students at the Royal Academy of Music; it’s an honor to have him compose for me again some 30 years later. I guess we’ve both done quite a lot in that time." Cast in four contrasting movements, the first, entitled 'Bells' is festive with much inter-play between trumpet and organ. The second, a sleek scherzo, is called 'Pipes' and features fanfare-like trumpet calls over a constantly-changing luxuriant bed of pulsating harmonies. The third, 'Hymn to a better world', is a 'vocalise' for trumpet with an ostinato-type, harmonic accompaniment. The final movement recalls the festivities of the first and brings the Sonata to an energetic and jubilant end. British composer, Roger Steptoe is considered as one of the most respected musicians of his generation. Currently living in the medieval hill-top town of Uzerche in the centre of France, and from where he works, he has carved for himself an enviable reputation with regular performances of his music worldwide. Several key works are available on CD, namely the recent Sinfonietta for organ and strings recorded by Olivier Latry on the organ of Notre-Dame, Paris, the 1982 Oboe Concerto with Nora Cismondi, principal with the Orchestre National de France, and the Seven Miniatures for piano trio played by the award-winning, young French piano trio, Trio Magellan. In 2006, the eminent Scottish tubist, James Gourlay, recorded Steptoe's Tuba Concerto for Naxos. In 2007 Steptoe wrote a second work for him, the Tuba Sonata, and which Gourlay premiered in Glasgow and then, in July 2008, in Cincinatti at the International Tuba and Euphonium Congress. All of Steptoe's recent works are now published by Editions BIM. His new website, www.rogersteptoe.com is available from January 1st 2009.

Graham Ashton

As a soloist, Graham Ashton has appeared with numerous orchestras including the BBC Symphony, English Chamber Orchestra, RTE Concert Orchestra in Dublin, Australian Chamber Orchestra and SABC Symphonies in South Africa. Most recent appearances include the New York Virtuosi, Orchestra of Our Time, Bachworks Orchestra and Manhattan’s premier contemporary ensemble, FIRES-New York. He also performed Sir Peter Maxwell Davies’ Strathclyde Concerto and Trumpet Sonata Opus 1 at the 2008 Dartington Summer School in UK and in the presence of the composer. Mr. Ashton has made eight acclaimed solo recordings for EMI Virgin, Nimbus, IMP Classics, Koch and Claves with the English Chamber Orchestra, English Symphony and Irish Chamber Orchestra. Of his award-winning cd ‘The Contemporary Trumpet’ (EMI Virgin), Gramophone wrote: "Graham Ashton shows himself to be an acutely thoughtful musician: virtuosity is never regarded as an end in itself, the sound never brazen and he conveys an unswerving clarity of vision which should be admired beyond the confines of the brass world". Recognized for their commitment to contemporary brass chamber music, last season the Graham Ashton Brass Ensemble gave acclaimed performances of Elliott Carter’s virtuosic Brass Quintet in honour of the composer’s 100th Birthday, ending with a final performance at Symphony Space on Broadway with the composer present. Last season, GABE also performed music by Tim Souster, Hans Werner Henze, Petr Eben, Jim Pugh and Daniel Schnyder. This season, they perform Sir Peter Maxwell Davies’ Quintet for Brass, together with Luciano Berio’s Call and Alvin Etler’s Brass Quintet. They will also premier Nico Muhly’s Senex Puerum Portabat for brass and voices at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City on December 20th. In addition to his busy teaching and performing schedule, Graham Ashton is a consultant to the Getzen Instrument Co. and a clinician for the Edwards Instrument Co. whose instruments he helps design and plays exclusively. He also is a prolific composer and arranger with a number of works published by Editions BIM. Most recent commissions include SUNY Fredonia, Australian Embassy, Washington DC, FIRES-New York, Sony Records and the Guggenheim Museum. Graham Ashton lives in the small hamlet of Granite Springs just north of Manhattan, where he is co-director of the Granite Springs Music Society, a festival committed to promoting performances of extraordinary chamber music, together with exquisite food and outrageous wine.

Christopher Jacobson

Christopher Jacobson is Assistant Organist and Assistant Director of Music at Washington National Cathedral where he accompanies, assists in directing the cathedral choirs, and is responsible for the training and education of the Junior Choristers. Prior to his appointment he served as Organ Scholar at the Cathedral since 2006. Before coming to Washington, DC, Mr. Jacobson was Organist and Choirmaster at the Episcopal Church of the Ascension in Rochester, New York. Mr. Jacobson holds the Master of Music degree in Organ Performance and the Sacred Music Diploma from the Eastman School of Music as well as the Associate diploma from the American Guild of Organists. At Eastman he studied organ with David Higgs, improvisation and continuo with William Porter and church music with Peter DuBois. Mr. Jacobson received his Bachelor of Music degree with distinction in Organ Performance from St. Olaf College where he studied organ with John Ferguson and Catherine Rodland, and piano with Kathryn Ananda-Owens. Mr. Jacobson began his organ study with Mme. Yvaine Duisit while a student at Woodberry Forest School in Orange, Virginia. He is a graduate of the American Boychoir School where he was a treble chorister under James Litton. Mr. Jacobson has won first prize in several organ competitions: the 2005 John R. Rodland Scholarship Competition, the 2003 American Guild of Organists/Quimby Region VI Competition for Young Organists, the 2003 Schubert Club Competition in Minneapolis and the 2001 Paul Manz Bach and Hymn Organ Competition. He was a semi-finalist in the 2006 AGO National Young Artist Competition and won second prize in the 2005 Miami International Organ Competition. Mr. Jacobson’s recital performances have been heard on three continents including programs at the 2004 AGO National Convention in Los Angeles, as well as St. Patrick’s Cathedral (Dublin, Ireland) and St. Michael’s Church (Melbourne, Australia).

The three finalists could choose for the last round between two pieces: the French Jérémie Dufort and Benjamin Pierce from U.S.A. played the Concert for tuba and orchestra by R.Szentpali, while the third contestant, the French Stephane Labeyrie, preferred the Concert for tuba and orchestra by J.Williams. All the three performances were appreciated by the public, that emphasized the ability of the single tubist with extended applause. Moreover the public played a role of particular importance because it was called to decree its favourite tubist, voting directly during the concert.

At the end of the performances the Jury - headed by Sandro Gorli (Italia) composer and conductor and composed by Øystein Baadsvik (Italy), Gerard Buquet (France), James Gourlay (Scotland), Walter Hilgers (Germany), Miguel Moreno (Spain) and John Stevens (U.S.A) - gathered in order to decide the winner while the Symphonic Orchestra of Friuli Venezia Giulia entertained the public with an awesome execution of the Sinfonia n.41 “Jupiter” K551 by W.A.Mozart.

The verdict expressed by the jurors took into consideration also the Final with piano and awarded the first prize to Benjamin Pierce, and two second prizes ex-aequo to Jérémie Dufort and Stephane Labeyrie. The public confirmed the judgment of the Jury awarding its prize to Benjamin Pierce.
At the end of the Competition the Artistic Director, prof. Giampaolo Doro, looked really satisfied and he emphasized the ability of the contestants and the importance of this Competition, pointed out by the presence of tubist from all over the world (Brasil, U.S.A., Japan, South Korea and all Europe).

Benjamin Pierce was born in New York in 1977. He is Asst. Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at the University of Arkansas. He holds degrees from Bowling Green State University (BM) and the University of Michigan (MM, DMA). Pierce has performed with major ensembles including the Detroit Symphony, the Detroit Chamber Brass, the Brass Band of Battle Creek, the Toledo Symphony, and the Flint Symphony. He has served as principal tubist of the Ann Arbor Symphony and the North Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. Pierce has been a recitalist and clinician at workshops and conferences in the United States and abroad. He has performed as a soloist with numerous ensembles including the Tokyo Symphony, the Oulu Symphony of Finland, the United States Army Band ("Pershing's Own"), and many others. This year, Pierce was grand prize winner of the Jeju International Brass Competition in South Korea, and the first piece winner of the International Competition of Markneukirchen 2008 for tuba. He has won both the tuba and euphonium divisions of the International Tuba/Euphonium Conference Solo Artist Competition and both divisions of the Leonard Falcone Intemational Solo Artist Competition (Michigan, USA). He has been the grand prize winner of the Tokyo Wind and Percussion Competition and has also won international competitions in England and Finland, among several others. Pierce has two solo recordings, Wheels of Life and Cheers, available directly from www.benpierce.com.

Jeremie Dufort was born in Enghien les Bains (France) in 1978. He graduated in 2004 at CNSM in Paris, where he studied in the class of m° Gerard Buquet and Bernard Neuranter.
He won the first prize at the International Competition "Philip Jones" in Guebwiller (France) in September 2003 and in 2004 he won the first prize at the International Competition "L’UFAM" and the third prize at the International Competition “Città di Porcia”. Moreover in 2004 he was finalist in the recruitment competition for a solo tuba player at the Paris Opera and in 2002 at the Paris Ensemble Intercontemporain.
From 2002 to 2006 he played with the Paris Police Orchestra, from 2006 to 2007 he played as tuba soloist with the Orchestre du Palau de les Arts de la Reina Sofia, in Valencia (Spain), conducted by Lorin Maazel and Zubin Metha. Since October 2007 he has played as a bass tuba with the Orchestre d'Harmonie de la Garde Républicaine. Moreover he has played with several orchestras and ensemble including: Ensemble Modern of Frankfurt, Paris Opéra, National Orchestra of France, Paris Orchestra, Lille National Orchestra, National Orchestra of Bordeaux-Aquitaine.
Currently he is assistant in the tuba class at the National Conservatory of Paris and before he taught tuba, chamber music, brass ensemble, and choral at the Music School of Cambrai.

Stephan Labeyrie was born in 1975. He studied the tuba with Marc Ursule at the CNR of Toulouse where he obtained the gold medal in 1991. In October of the same year, he entered the National Academy of Music of Lyon in the class of Mel Culbertson. In 1992, he obtained the Special Prize of Musical Quality at the International Competition of Markneukirchen (Germany). In 1995, he obtained the National Diploma of High Studies of Music with mention of the jury at the CNSM of Lyon. In June 1995, he was invited to take part in the Final Concert of the International Congress of Tuba in Chicago (U.S.A.). In December 1995, he was awarded the First Prize at the Tuba International Competition of Sydney (Australia). In May 1996, he was awarded the First Prize at the International Compeition of Markneukirchen. In 1997 he was awarded the First Prize at the International Competition of Riva del Garda (Italy).
Stephan Labeyrie has taken part in many festivals and has played as a soloist in various formations (recitals and orchestra) all over the world (U.S.A., Japan, Austria...).
After having played at the National Opera of Lyon with Kent Nagano and having spent two years with the National Orchestra of Capitole of Toulouse, he currently plays as tuba soloist at the Paris Orchestra conducted by Christoph Eschenbach. Since 2005 he has taught at the Music Conservatory of Lausanne. He currently plays with Yahama instruments and takes part in their development.
]]> Administrator Fri, 14 Nov 2008 08:46:50 +0000 http://www.brass-bulletin.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=177:the-eastman-wind-ensemble-danzante&Itemid=43 The Eastman Wind Ensemble is America's leading wind ensemble. Its core of 50 performers includes undergraduate and graduate students at the Eastman School of Music. Here, with the leadership of conductor Mark Scatterday and the brilliant performance from veteran trumpet extraordinaire, James Thompson, Eastman is back and better than ever with Danzante.

Tracks

E. Ewazen, Danzante - images/mp3/dcd459.mp3 (click to play)
L. Stewart, Folk Music
J. Hetu, Concerto for Trumpet, Op. 42a
M. Colombier, Emmanuel
D. Wilson, Leader, lieder

James Thomspon, Trumpet
Mark Davis Scatterday, Conductor

Summit Records DCD 459

Tracks

1. J.S. Bach, Prelude IX
2. W. Dix, Sieben oder so
3. M. East, images/mp3/percussionposauneleipzig.mp3 (click to play)
4. T. Morley, Though Philomena
5. A. Holborne, Gush forth, my tears
6. T. Morley, It was a lover
7. W. Dix, Auf Grung
8. A. Corelli, Sonate da Chiesa
9. W. Dix, Mittsommer
10. C. Wundrak, Tromcussion-Suite
11. E. Budziat, Red Lips and Brown Skin
12. G. Gershwin, The Man I Love
13. G. Gershwin, Summertime
14. L. Bernstein, Theme from West Side Story

More info