Friday, June 24
5:30 P.M. - ITG BANQUET
Grand Hotel Grand Ballroom
Gary Mortenson, reporter
The Banquet is a time for celebration, reflection, and saying thank you, and this year it was no different. The food was plentiful and fantastic, authentic Thai cuisine at it’s very best. Another unique aspect of the banquet was the background music provided by the Mahidol University Thai Classical Music Orchestra. Played on traditional Thai instruments, this wonderful ensemble treated a very appreciative throng with one more experience that was so delightful, so charming, and so accomplished that it will be difficult to tell friends and family at home what an impression it made on all in attendance.
Stephen Chenette served as the master of ceremonies introducing all of the officers and board. He also recognized all the past presidents, past conference hosts, made note of who was leaving the board of directors, and who would be new during the next term. Alan Siebert took the podium to announce all of the details associated with the various ITG competitions that went on during the week. For full details see the competition results section of the 2005 conference coverage.
Stephen Chenette then presented two of the four Award of Merit winners that were to be presented at the conference. James Olcott and Veniamin Margolin received their award to standing ovations from the audience. Chenette recognized the literally thousands of projects and details Olcott has taken care of during his tireless efforts on behalf of ITG over his decades long association with the organization on a leadership level. Margolin was recognized for his legacy of artistry to the craft of orchestral playing during his incredible career as soloist with the Leningrad Philharmonia and as professor at the St. Petersburg Conservatoire. In a moving speech to the audience, delivered first by Margolin in Russian and then translated by President Elect Jeffrey Piper into English, he offered his thoughts on what this honor and in a larger sense what his career meant to him. The text of that speech is given here:
June 24, 2005
ITG Conference, Bangkok Thailand
Mr. President!
Dear Colleagues!
Ladies and gentlemen!
First of all I would like to thank you, Mr. President and the whole leadership of the International Trumpet Guild for your high appraisal of my modest achievements, and for the Award of Merit that you kindly bestowed on me.
My whole life in music as a soloist, the first trumpet of the Orchestra of the Leningrad Philharmonia and professor of the St. Petersburg Conservatoire gave me a wonderful chance to communicate with many remarkable trumpet players of yesterday and today. Many of them have become my good friends. I shall name but a few – the ones you know so well: Sigmund Hering, Samual Kraus, Adolph Herseth, Bernard Adelstein, Adolf Scherbaum, Pierre Thibout, Knud Hovald, and Bo Nielsen. I remember an old friend of mine, a great artist who recently passed away, Timofei Dokshizer. Of my current active friends I shall gladly name Mr. President of the ITG Stephen Chenette, Kim Dunnick, Frank Kaderabek, Dr. Leonard Candelaria, Dr. Edward Tarr, and Anatoly Selianen who unfortunately could not make this ceremony. Selianen is an outstanding enthusiast and music promoter who did a lot to introduce the Russian spiritual culture to the West. I cannot fail to mention Philip Smith, an amazing trumpet player, soloist of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, a remarkably gentle and light-hearted person whose warm letter really touched my heart.
As a veteran of the World War II I have been awarded many battle medals and commendations, I have a number of state awards for my long musical activity. However this award, the ITG Award of Merit is a real lifetime achievement for me. Once again, thank you very much.
God bless you!
Veniamin S. Margolin
After Margolin’s acceptance, 2005 Conference host Dr. Joseph Bowman thanked the hundreds of people who made this year’s conference possible. In particular, he thanked Mahidol University’s College of Music faculty and it’s Director Dr. Sugree Charoensook, the Tourism Authority of Thailand for their support in underwriting the conference, the more than 70 music students from the university who helped, the artists who performed throughout the week, the accompanists who did such a fantastic job under the pressure of an exhausting schedule, the staff at The Grand Hotel, and finally the support of his fiancée Lisa Sancharoensuttikul. As is tradition in recent years, Bowman presented Bryan Appleby-Wineberg, the host for the 2006 ITG Conference at Rowan University, with the ceremonial bugle.
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