Master Class: Atlantic Brass Quintet
9:00 a.m. Great Hall

Hirofumi Noguchi, Trumpet
Seth Orgel, Horn
John Manning, Tuba
Jeffrey Luke, Trumpet
John Faieta, Trombone
Michael Kingan, Percussion

Marc Geelhoed, Reporter
The Atlantic Brass Quintet’s master class opened with the quintet playing a fanfare in a classroom. The group displayed the same distinct sound they performed with the previous evening. This was followed by an arrangement of The Earle of Oxford’s March, with Jeffrey Luke using his G-trumpet. Luke had forgotten his music for this piece

and had to play unexpectedly from memory, but it was superb. Before they started he said, “I’m going to try it anyway, and if I screw up, I really don’t care.” This relaxed approach to performing would serve us all well!

They proceeded to discuss how they go about working together since they do not live in the same city. The quintet finds that e-mailing the parts to each other prior to arriving at a rehearsal works well. This gives everyone the chance to learn the parts well in advance of actually getting together. Luke and Seth Orgel said that they find Bach chorales to be helpful in learning to think as a unit. They like to play the chorales disregarding the written indications on the page, and have one player lead the group. Other players are expected to follow that person’s body language to achieve a stronger cohesiveness than simply following their parts. They also play the “okay game,” a psychological exercise wherein members are open to any criticism, and have to reply, “okay,” to any suggestions.

These musicians have a lot to say, and their playing also speaks volumes. One can learn a lot from their suggestions, and their tips should prove helpful to many quintets.