The International Romantic Trumpet Festival consists of a series of concerts in the gorgeous city of St. Petersburg that occur throughout the year.  These concerts feature the sound of the trumpet with various accompaniments such as trumpet and orchestra, trumpet and jazz band, trumpet and organ, trumpet with brass accompaniment, and trumpet and piano.

The Gala Concert for the 6th International Romantic Trumpet Festival took place on October 12, 2008 in St. Petersburg, Russia.  This concert, in the beautiful Glinka Hall on Nevsky Prospect, featured Paul Merkelo (Principal Trumpet of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra) and P. Bradley Ulrich (Western Carolina University), accompanied by Maxim Zhaivoronok, piano.  Joining them were two trumpet students from the St. Petersburg Conservatory. This concert showcased trumpet with piano accompaniment. Bradley Ulrich performed Joseph Turrin's "Caprice", the second movement of Eric Ewazen's "Sonata for Trumpet and Piano", "Allemande" from J.S. Bach's Suite number 6 for Unaccompanied Cello (arranged by Ulrich for flugelhorn), and Hoagie Carmichael's "Stardust" arranged by Aaron Todd.  Paul Merkelo performed the Tomasi and the Haydn Concerti as well as two Dockshitzer's Etudes.   The two students from the St. Petersburg Conservatory performed a work by Scriabin and the final movement of the Shostakovich Concerto for Trumpet and Piano, arranged by Dokshitzer.  Both of these students displayed remarkable sounds and musicality in addition to impeccable technique. The program concluded with Ulrich and Merkelo performing the final movement of Vivaldi's Concerto for Two Trumpets.  A very pleasant surprise after the concert was finding that Alexandre Lazornko, a retired member of the Leningrad Symphony Orchestra, was in attendance.  Alexandre joined the Leningrad Symphony in 1935!  Bradley Ulrich, Public Relations Director for ITG, presented Irina Vakulenko and Gennady Nikanov with certificates of appreciation from the International Trumpet Guild.

On October 14, 2008, Gennady Nikanov, Principal Trumpet of the Marinsky Theatre Orchestra (St. Petersburg) gave a trumpet and piano recital featuring the compositions and arrangements of Irina Vakulenko, who also accompanied him on piano.  This recital was also a part of the Sixth International Romantic Trumpet Festival.  In addition to playing the trumpet, Nikanov, a counter-tenor, sang on each piece.  Compositions were by Caccini, Irina Vakulenko, Duke Ellington, and Cole Porter, among others.  Nikanov's style is very unique and showcases a powerful sound, excellent flexibilty, and extremely passionate playing.  The vocals on each work added a unique flare to the program.  In addition to having astounding "classical" trumpet technique, Gennady is also a proficient improviser on trumpet and his voice can sound like Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong!

If you would like to learn more about the International Romantic Trumpet Festival, then please visit http://www.trumpetfestival.ru/index_e.html.

Performers in the Sixth Annual International Romantic Trumpet Festival