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After 29 years with the Canadian Brass Ronald Romm is striking off on his own. Romm will be concentrating on solo shows, recitals with his wife Avis, Orchestra and Band appearances, and masterclasses and workshops.
For more information, visit the Canadian Brass on the web at: www.canadianbrass.com
A brief email interview with Ron:
- ITG: What were a few of your most memorable achievements/moments with the
Canadian Brass?
- RR: There have been so many memorable achievements with the Canadian Brass, that
it is really difficult to even quote one or two, but I'll try...50 CDs, 5
Videos, over 3000 concerts...China in 1977 stands out as a particularly
amazing event...for those of you that have The Canadian Brass Book, you can
review that...we played 14 concerts in 14 days, and traveled from Beijing to
Quang Cho...there had been an earthquake that killed over 200,000 people
(yes, that is correct), the first ever strike by railroad workers in the
country precipitated a takeover of the railroad by the army.
There were
people in our audiences that had NEVER heard western music before, and in one
venue, there was almost a riot when people couldn't get tickets to the show
(the tickets had been distributed by incentive, so only the lucky ones who
had friends in the system, or had earned the incentive tickets were allowed
to go). The applause would come in waves as the people in the front (the
officials) would express approval for our music...there are many events of
this type that have happened through the years.
We had a prospective tour to
Russia canceled by the Russian government, when they received a cleanup bill
from the Canadian government for a fallen satellite in the Northwest
Territories.
Keep in mind that touring has been the norm for Canadian Brass, and the fact
that we performed for over 29 years with only two actual postponements is a
fantastic achievement. One of the two times, we couldn't go to Europe with a
choir because four of us had the flu, and the other time, there was a raging
snowstorm in the Midwest states; we were booking a charter flight to get from
Minneapolis to Ames, IA...the commercial airlines had canceled the flight.
The sponsor paged us in the Minneapolis airport and told us that even if we
got there, they couldn't get to the Ames airport to get us, and the roads
were too bad for the audience to come, so we postponed.
I mentioned the 50 CDs out there that we have released ... but in addition to
that feat, the Canadian Brass has recorded in all of the various
technologies, including analog tape, direct to disc, and now direct to hard
drive; and most types of venues from studios to churches to concert halls.
- ITG: What type of literature will you be concentrating on in your recital/solo
work in the future? (different styles than the CB literature?)
- RR: I am focusing on creating a type of recital that has not yet been done;
although this sounds strange, I feel that most solo recitals are boring, no
matter how good the actual playing is. My recitals will not, and I emphasize
NOT be boring. If I say too much about it now, someone may beat me to the
punch, but keep an eye out for my concerts...you won't be disappointed.
- ITG: Is there anything else that you feel would be of interest to the trumpet community (a
lot, I'm certain!)?
- RR: Well, after 29 years of building and performing successful shows with the
Canadian Brass, I feel that I have a very interesting perspective on both the
physical and the psychological aspects of performance, both as a soloist and
as a chamber musician. In addition to concentrating on Solo performances with
Orchestra and Band, I plan to make myself available for masterclasses and
workshops, concentrating on the "environment" of performance, as well as the
relationship of the performer to the audience, as well as programming for
today's audiences.
- ITG: Who should one contact to inquire about your availability?
- RR: For the time being, you can contact me direct at the following email and
snailmail addresses, and by telephone and fax:
Ronald Romm c/o
Ron@Canbrass.com
Ronnie6@aol.com
4099 Higel Avenue
Sarasota, FL, USA 34242
Tel: 941-346-1592
Fax: 941-346-1209
Fax: 416-352-5546
See you all out there.
Ron
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