ITG 2005

Kevin Eisensmith, reporter

Moderating this panel discussion was Eric Ewazen who is well known to trumpet players and members of ITG; his Sonata has become a favorite recital piece in recent years. He began by saying that many of the composers on the panel were meeting for the first time, and that it has been exciting to hear each other’s music. All of the composers present have works featured during the conference.

Steve Everett, who teaches at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, began his comments by saying that each era features a new technology. In his music, he explores “new expressive possibilities in technology.” His interactive work, Blow-Back for trumpet, tape, and Kyma computer music system, will be performed by Bryan Goff, Professor of Trumpet at Florida State University, Thursday afternoon. Everett enjoys combining the trumpet with sounds of nature or mechanical sounds.

Naohiro Tsuken, trumpet player and composer, stated that there are few works for trumpet or trumpet ensemble that have been written in Japan. When he had difficulty finding an appropriate work for a student who had technical limitations, he decided to write a piece himself. Tsuken’s compositions featured prominently on a recital earlier in the day!

Jamie Keesecker’s Rhapsody for Trumpet and Brass Ensemble was a co-winner of the 2005 ITG Composition Contest. Keesecker, a horn player, was a member of the University Brass Ensemble that premiered his work in an earlier session. He stated that he has played the trumpet, but not well! When writing for trumpet he feels that composers “must think about rests for the player.” In his ensemble piece, he was wary of burying the soloist. As a result, he tended to alternate having the soloist play with a smaller portion of the full ensemble, and saving tutti sections for times when the soloist was in a range where he could easily be heard.

Robert Bradshaw had two works featured earlier in the day during the New Works Recital, one for brass quintet and the other for trumpet, cello, and piano. With regard to balancing the instruments in these two very different ensembles, he said that he writes for instruments in a range where the instrumentalists feel comfortable. As a result, balance tends to take care of itself.

Kari Juusela is also a non-trumpet player. His work was the other co-winner of the 2005 ITG Composition Contest. In order to better understand the phrasing capabilities of a trumpet, he sings all of the lines he writes, and sings them “loudly!” He works closely with musicians who commission him to write new pieces, and continues to make modifications after the premier, which he considers the “rough cut” of the piece. Smoke, Fog and Mirrors for solo trumpet, brass choir and vibraphone is “very mystical” according to Juusela, and is full of references to the number “3.” He said that composing is “like writing a letter to yourself” and makes references to things that only the composer might recognize.

Seated on the panel in addition to these six composers was trumpeter and publisher Jim Olcott. His publishing company, Triplo Press, is dedicated to music for trumpet ensemble. In looking for a “publishable” work, Olcott says the piece must have “good musical content, be innovative, and out of the ordinary.” New works should be approachable for both the performers and the listeners. From a publisher’s standpoint, a good work is one that performers are going to be able to use and consequently, a piece that they will buy.

Members of the audience were encouraged to ask the panel questions. When asked how composers come up with new ideas, Bradshaw said that writing music was like communicating; he never runs out of ideas. He said that he writes whatever he feels at that moment. Everett stated that today it is easier than ever to have contact with music from around the world. This enables composers to hear music organized in new and interesting ways. Ewazen felt that composing is “hard work” and likened it to a sculptor working with clay.

When an audience member said that he had difficulty obtaining music through local music stores, most of the composers said that they now have web sites were it is possible to download sample files of their works and to see portions of the written scores. The Internet holds new possibilities for composers to have their works heard and even purchased by larger and larger numbers of performers.

In his concluding remarks, Ewazen reminded performers to stay in contact with composers and to send copies of printed programs whenever possible. Composers affiliated with certain publishing firms receive payment whenever their works are performed. He said that performers and composers have a “symbiotic relationship; one needs the other! We [the composers and performers] have made new friends of each other this week!”