Edwards

We recently received the following message from Edwards bass trombonist Phil Brink:

TubaMania is the brainchild of Steve Rosse, who is not only a major world-class tuba soloist and principal Tuba of the Sydney Symphony, but also a major entrepreneur when it comes to fostering interest in the tuba around the world. For this first “real” TubaMania Asia Festival, he managed to get the XL Tuba Quartet from Croatia, and the great — like, GREAT! — tuba soloist and composer Roland Szentpali to come to Bangkok. We performed and had masterclasses at the Mi-Fa Center just off Sukhumvit in downtown BKK, and the experience was awesome! Can we still say awesome, or is it old hat? I for one started off feeling like a foreigner as the only trombonist on the faculty, but the other soloists and presenters quickly shut that worry down, making me feel like one of the bunch!

web.mac.com/lertkiat/Site/TubaMania_Festival_Images.html

The conference was so successful we decided to keep it up, and as a step in that direction, Steve — with whom I played in the New Mexico Symphony in 1987-88 — decided to prepare his demo CD for a commercial recording, right here in Bangkok. In setting that up he then decided to make it a recital opportunity. This is what I love about working in Thailand: “You want a concert? Let’s have a concert? How about a month from now?” And thus it was… an amazing group, with trumpet (Lertkiat Chongjirajitra), horn (Krit Vikornvongvanich), trombone (me), and Tuba (Steve), with absolutely a fantastic accompanist (Tomoko Sawano) from the Berlin Universitat der Kunst. It was a very special happening, playing with all these outstanding performers, and also because this program followed a performance by the Thailand Philharmonic and was followed by me traveling to Beijing for the first of a series of three master classes, sponsored by Edwards, and one more in Hong Kong! When I got back to Thailand I was… pretty beat!

web.mac.com/lertkiat/Site/Brass_Masters_Recital_Images.html

I hope you enjoy these photos as much as we all enjoyed the performances, and classes.

Phil Brink

Doug Yeo recently reviewed Jim Pugh’s X Over Trombone for the Online Trombone Journal. Check it out here: X Over Trombone: A Review. Then be sure to buy a copy!

I met Massimo La Rosa while attending the 2006 Alessi Seminar in Italy. A standout in the seminar, Massimo played with great clarity and control and had a stage presence that was enjoyed by all in attendance. A year later, he auditioned for and won the Cleveland Orchestra principal trombone position.

Massimo recently visited Elkhorn in order to update his old T350. I worked with him to tailor the sound and feel to his new section and Severance Hall. I feel we were able to achieve exactly what he wants his trombone voice to be. Congratulations to Massimo for winning the audition (on his Edwards!). We wish him great success.

Trombones are shipped and on their way to Washington DC where our tax dollars are finally working for us. The Eastern Trombone Workshop is a FREE trombone show that allows you to hear professional and the “up & comers” who compete in competitions during the workshop.

Ron Knaflic and Jared Lantzey have teamed up to work this show and help trombonists find the right equipment. If you’re serious about getting a new trombone or just wanting to see what we’re about please drop by and try our instruments. We’ve built a few exceptional instruments that are just needing to find the right player.

Paul Compton, Chris Houlding, Paul Pollard, and Brent Phillips will be guest artists at this show, so enjoy the music and make it a point to try to attend as much as possible. There are very few places putting on events such as this and without your attendance they can not continue.

Visit the ETW Web site