Edwards

Dave Taylor’s recent performance of Schubert’s Der Doppelgänger at the Kennedy Center is now available on YouTube.

Congratulations to the fine trombonists selected as participants and fellows for the 2011 Alessi Seminar. These musicians are in for a life-changing experience.

Auditor spots are still available. Hint, hint…

Aspiring orchestral bass trombonists will be thrilled to hear that James Markey (New York Philharmonic) and Denson Paul Pollard (New York Metropolitan Opera Orchestra) have collaborated to record excerpts from the orchestra and opera rep. The CD, appropriately titled The Bass Trombonist’s Listening Guide: Excerpts from the Opera and the Orchestra, will soon be available at Hickeys and CDBaby.

Update: Dave’s Kennedy Center performance is now available online. His portion of the concert starts at 29:30.

Dave Taylor dropped us a line this week to tell us about some performances and masterclasses on his calendar. After performing at Slide Factory today, he’ll be heading back to the States for the Mayor’s Arts Awards at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. From Dave:

“I’m soloing at the Kennedy Center representing the Post Classical Ensemble on a Schubert piece, Der Doppelgänger (doing a lot of Schubert these days). They offered me a small string orchestra. I chose six basses instead. They loved it! I told them I wanted the audience to think I was standing in the middle of a forrest.”

Dave will be in Hannover, Germany, on July 24-26 to teach and perform. This event is open to all tenor and bass trombonists. Contact Christopher Nimz for more information.

We take a lot of pride in building great instruments for our customers. And when those instruments help them win jobs, well, you can imagine how it makes us feel. Edwards players have fared very well at auditions since we opened the doors in 1989. And recent results have been overwhelmingly positive as many of them have won positions in excellent orchestras.

Recently, Samuel Schlosser won the Milwaukee Symphony’s second trombone audition on his Edwards T350-E with a 321CF bell, rose dual radius tuning slide, T-BCN hand slide and a T2 brass leadpipe. He also won the audition for second/assistant principal trombone for the Cincinnati Symphony, which qualifies him for a trial week in May.

John Thevenet also won a position in the Milwaukee Symphony. He’ll be joining the orchestra as its bass trombonist. John plays a B454 with a 987CF bell, rose tuning slide, B-DBN hand slide and a B2 brass leadpipe.

How are they doing it? First and foremost, they are extremely talented musicians dedicated to their craft. But our horns also play a part. Finding the correct instrument fit enables a player to breathe into the instrument and create what they want musically.

And while these two trombonists won jobs on time-tested equipment, we are always looking to forge ahead with new designs to meet even more musicians’ needs. We are thrilled with the success of the Alessi horn and how it is fitting into sections. The National Symphony Orchestra tenor section is all on the T396-A. What a sound it is coming from that section!

Congratulations to Sam, John and all of the other Edwards players that have found success in this crazy field we call work. I look forward to being a part of your future!

Jason Beghtol, bass trombonist with the Tupelo Symphony and professor at Northeast Mississippi Community College, will premiere Titan’s Gaze, a concerto for bass trombone, symphonic band, and choir composed by Nathaniel Murphy. The concert is April 18, 7pm, at Northeast MS Community College.

Nathaniel recalls how the piece came about: “Jason contacted me to write a piece for him and symphonic band, and I jumped at the chance! Even in high school Jason was an incredible player, so a few years later I was ready to give him something he would enjoy playing as much as an audience would enjoy hearing… or at least that was my intention. I started the creative journey by thinking of the bass trombone as a strong instrument that commands a rich, royal presence within a concert band. I thought of it as a titan, and so my connection with Greek mythology began.”

Titan’s Gaze can purchased through Natrebo Productions. A piano reduction of the accompaniment will be available soon.

Edwards trombone artist Haim Avitsur recently performed Meira Warshauer’s Tekeeyah (The Call), a concerto for shofar, trombone and orchestra. Accompanied by the Western Piedmont Symphony, Haim performed both solo parts and did so extremely well. According to the reviewer…

“It is without question that Mr. Avitsur is an extremely accomplished trombonist. That he can coax tonal sounds and beautiful music out of a ram’s horn is truly virtuosic and astounding.”

Read the entire review: Western Piedmont Symphony Sounds the Call

Dave’s creativity knows no bounds. This isn’t your typical Ewazen!

You can purchase the recording on Amazon.com.

John Mackey’s Harvest – Concerto for Trombone, performed by Joseph Alessi and The West Point Band, Timothy Holtan, conductor, is now available on iTunes.

From the composer…

“Harvest: Concerto for Trombone is based on the myths and mystery rituals of the Greek god Dionysus. As the Olympian god of the vine, Dionysus is famous for inspiring ecstasy and creativity. But this agricultural, earth-walking god was also subjected each year to a cycle of agonizing death before glorious rebirth, analogous to the harsh pruning and long winter the vines endure before blooming again in the spring. The concerto’s movements attempt to represent this dual nature and the cycle of suffering and return.”

Read more about the piece on John’s web site.

We’d like to congratulate Caleb Ketcham, a sophomore from Oklahoma State University, for winning this year’s Big 12/Edwards Bass Trombone Solo Competition. The finals took place at the Eighth Annual Big 12 Trombone Conference, hosted by James Decker and Texas Tech University. Jeriad Wood (University of Texas) and Jeremiah Stones (University of North Texas) were the other finalists. Judges were JoDee Davis (University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory), David Jackson (University of Michigan) and Martin McCain (Texas State University).

For performing the Halsey Stevens Sonatina so well, Caleb received a $1000 Edwards gift certificate.