ITG 99 Cichowicz Presentation

Lecture demonstration: Ensemble Playing by Vincent Cichowicz

Jon Burgess reporter
Morehead State University

The Lecture Demonstration by the St. Louis Trumpet Section was cancelled because Susan Slaughter had unexpected eye surgery (it was reported she was doing fine

Michigan State University Trumpet
Ensemble & Vincent Cichowicz

following surgery). Vincent Cichowicz, former Professor of Trumpet at Northwestern University and former member of the Chicago Symphony, was the last minute replacement for the St. Louis Trumpet lecture.

The session opened with a performance by the Michigan State University Trumpet Ensemble under the direction of Richard Illman and conducted by David Gaines. The six member ensemble played an outstanding performance of Dennis Horton's Suite for Six Trumpets. The ensemble demonstrated a wonderful blend and balance of sound.

Vincent Cichowicz began his session talking about how flexible an orchestral player must be in order to accommodate different conductors' musical viewpoints. This led into many amusing stories about Cichowicz' experiences with many famous conductors over the years.

Michigan State Trumpet Ensemble Clip

The Michigan State Trumpet Ensemble was invited on stage

Vincent Cichowicz

to demonstrate ideas of flexibility when encountering differing musical approaches to the music.

The Ensemble played the opening to the third movement of the Horton Suite. Cichowicz encouraged different members of the ensemble to do "wind patterns" on the opening melody to get the sensation of what the wind should be doing. He cautioned about teachers using the word "relax," suggesting instead that students be encouraged to think of the body being fluid or achieving an elastic feel to help relieve tension from building up while you play. He also encouraged ensemble members to take a full breath even for short passages so you remain more in control as a player at all times. He encouraged ensemble members to be very precise with the beginning of each entrance, and not hesitate with the first note but follow through. He gave the analogy of jumping into a pool of water, not just sticking your big toe in to get a feel for the water.

The MSU Trumpet Ensemble then did a complete performance of the third movement. He commended the ensemble on how well prepared they were and on an excellent performance.

The University of Kansas Trumpet Ensemble, directed by Chistopher Moore, was then invited on stage to play sections of Fantasia by Eric Ewazen. Cichowicz commented on how the ensemble was able to effectively change colors, especially in soft passages. This led into a discussion about the importance of hearing in your head the sound you are trying to achieve, rather than getting too analytical about how to achieve certain sounds. He also warned about the tendency for players to tighten up when playing "marcato" patterns. Again he had the entire ensemble doing "air patterns" on this "marcato" passage to get a natural feel while performing. The University of Kansas Trumpet Ensemble was complimented on how well they performed.

Mr. Cichowicz ended the session by commenting on how important a role listening and experience play in developing as musicians. Often times the description of the musical line goes beyond words; by listening to musicians of all instruments, you develop more experiences to draw from..