The 2008 International Trumpet Symposium was held August 1-6 in Sillico, Italy, a tiny medieval village in the Apuan Alps of northern Italy. Clinicians included Reinhold Friedrich, trumpet soloist and professor of trumpet at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik, Karlsruhe, Germany; Kristian Steenstrup, author of Teaching Brass and associate professor of trumpet at the Royal Academy of Music, Aarhus, Denmark; and Nick Thompson, London freelance trumpeter with BBC Symphony Orchestra, LSO, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, and the English Concert. Thompson is now Head of Woodwind, Brass, and Percussion at London College of Music. Eriko Takezawa, the wind instrument accompanist at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik, Karlsruhe, and frequent collaborator with Reinhold Friedrich, accompanied performers during the week.

The symposium was held in Sillico’s 16th century Canonica, whose stone buildings and alpine views made a picturesque setting for the conference. Participants from Italy, Spain, Germany, Denmark, Korea, England, Ireland, and the USA spent the week in master classes, ensemble work, lectures, and performances. Reinhold Friedrich’s master classes were held in the Canonica’s small, ornate rococo church. Trumpet players performed selected literature ranging from cornet solos to the Brandenburg Concerto No. 2. Friedrich’s coaching, like his playing, was colourful, flamboyant, and insightful. We all benefited from his vast wealth of experience and his intimate knowledge of the literature.

During the week, Friedrich described his process of studying original scores for ideas on articulation and ornamentation, and explained the choices he arrived at in recording the Haydn and Hummel concertos on the keyed trumpet. Using Baroque trumpet and modern piston- and rotary- valved instruments, he demonstrated the ways in which a player can use the acoustics of the performance space to shape interpretation. Friedrich also shared useful practice techniques for coordinating the right and left hemispheres of the brain.

Kristian Steenstrup, whose major influences included Vincent Cichowicz and Arnold Jacobs, demonstrated a comprehensive knowledge of the physiology of brass playing. His classes combined talks on pedagogical principles with individual coaching. Using the visual feedback of different breathing aids, players showed immediate improvement when they went back to the instrument. Demonstrating the use of a Breath Builder, Steenstrup joked “I have one of these with a golf ball for people I don’t like.” Throughout the week, participants were encouraged to develop a craftsman-like approach to raise their level of playing.

Steenstrup also shared information about his research with mirror neurons. A pilot study showed that when students listened to recordings, neurons in the motor cortex react as if they are playing. When listening to a chromatic scale, there was activity in the part of the motor cortex that controls the hand and the mouth; when listening to the harmonic series, there was activity only in the area that controls the mouth. Implications for teachers: be a good model for your students as Steenstrup is convinced that the process of learning is initiated by watching or listening to something that is part of our motor repertoire. He further concluded that it is a very subtle process.

In addition to these master classes, Nick Thompson coached ensemble literature and orchestral sections, and coordinated the final concert. He also gave impromptu instruction in tai chi and qi gong techniques.

During the week, trumpet players were able to enjoy village life in rural Tuscany. The 500 year-old town of Sillico hosts an annual Medieval Fair, “a historic gastronomic pageant of the 16th century.” Trumpet players participated by playing fanfares in several venues between their sampling of the food and drink of the period. Later in the week, participants had the opportunity to enjoy a concert by the town band and also heard vocal soloists paying tribute to local son, Puccini.

On August 5th, Reinhold Friedrich and Eriko Takezawa presented an Artist’s Concert. The duo performed both new and familiar works in a memorable display of lyrical, expressive playing in a truly artistic collaboration. Also performing were trombonist David Friedrich and Amalia Steenstrup on flute. At the end, Reinhold Friedrich was joined by ten year-old Jacob Steenstrup in a set of trumpet duets. Hearing the two perform, first singing and then playing their duets, brought smiles to faces, along with reflections on the priceless value of a good start.

The final concert of the symposium featured participants in solo and ensemble works accompanied on piano and organ by Takezawa. The concert opened with Benjamin Brittain’s Fanfare for St. Edmundsbury played on natural trumpets. The following hour featured the talents of many fine players and displayed the results of the expert coaching received.

The opportunity to study with internationally known musicians and the experience of hearing and performing with so many excellent trumpet players made it a memorable and valuable week. Organizer Paul Thomas did an excellent job of coordinating all the events and providing a congenial atmosphere for an intensive week of trumpet work. The next International Trumpet Symposium is scheduled for August 24-29, 2009. More information can be found at the symposium’s web site (www.musicseminars.co.uk).

Source: Leigh Anne Hunsaker