A crowd of over 150 young people and parents were on hand for the much anticipated master class session by internationally-known trumpet soloist Allen Vizzutti. The event opened with a short performance by Tim Zimmerman and the King’s Brass. An offstage fanfare was quickly followed by the group parading into the hall, playing a wonderful Dixieland arrangement of the traditional He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands. The group was dynamic, energetic, and provided a fitting welcome to Texas for all in attendance.
Conference host Jon Burgess followed, welcoming everyone to ITG’s Youth Day. Burgess explained that he remembered meeting fantastic players, and being inspired by them when he was young, and he hoped the same would hold true for those in attendance. Burgess said that the person who came immediately to mind when he though of inspiring players was Allen Vizzutti.

Following the introduction, Vizzutti walked onstage and performed excerpts from Arban’s Carnival of Venice, in true Vizzutti style. A warm rich sound was accompanied by a dazzling display of technique and musical nuance. After a well-deserved audience ovation, Vizzutti addressed the young people in the audience. The main thrust of his speech was that the students come away from the conference inspired. “There will be many things that will leave you in awe,” said Vizzutti, “but don’t get discouraged at your own level, in comparison. The fact that you have music in your life is a great positive.” He went on to discuss how students should strive to be musical individuals. “Why else would someone play the Haydn?” asked Vizzutti, “It’s been played so many times, the real reason to listen is to hear the person behind the horn.”

Interaction with the audience was evident. Vizzutti had several humorous anecdotes that had audience members howling. He began to get into the specifics of playing, discussing his ideas on practicing. He advocated three stages of practice: a) a consistent warm up, b) technically-oriented flow materials, such as the Clarke studies, and c) play music! Anything you love to play, if you play it musically, will make you a better player, Vizzutti asserted.

Pausing to play again, Vizzutti next performed a movement of J.G. Albrechtsberger’s Concertino on piccolo trumpet. The rich tone left the audience entranced. A roaring ovation followed. Segueing to the concept of air and blowing through the horn without buzzing, he drew attention to the many aspects of good breathing, using enough air, etc. Students typically use nowhere near enough air to play the trumpet efficiently compared to professionals. As an example of taking a full breath, Vizzutti played an extended Clarke study for well over a minute without a breath.

Taking time to answer questions, topics such as playing with braces, jazz practice, and developing range were addressed. Vizzutti is such an engaging and dynamic figure, that the two-hour master class flew by. The rapt expressions on the participant’s faces were the real measure of Vizzutti’s impact. With a receptive audience, and a fitting introduction, this session was an excellent opening to the ITG Youth Day festivities in Fort Worth.