First prize winner: Bryce Schmidt, Middle School division

The future of trumpet playing in the USA is in good hands! This was proven for the 14th time, at the 2005 National Trumpet Competition, by Dr. Dennis Edelbrock and his dedicated volunteers, who hosted exciting competitions, entertaining concerts, and educational clinics during the spring break, March 17th – 20th, at George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia.

The results of the eight competitions are as follows:

Middle School Division - Chair: Bill Stowman.

1st place winner: Bryce Schmidt (The Bach Award for Artistic Excellence). Teacher: Jamie Hall. He performed the second and third movements of Hummel’s Trumpet Concerto with a musicality and inner drive that would have called for encores if it hadn’t been a competition situation.

2nd place: Kyla Moscovich (The Tom Crown Mutes Young Artist Award). Teacher: Vincent Penzerella. She performed the Barat Fantasia with a sincerity and clarity of sound that spoke of confidence and a true joy in playing. This twelve-year-old girl also plays jazz. Both Bryce and Kyla participated in the Youth Competition for under-fourteens at the ITG conference in Denver, 2004: Bryce also came in first in this competition.

3rd place: William Parker Keys (The Najoom Music Products Award) Teacher: ITG Board member Michael Tunnel, who seemingly has made it a nice habit of sending excellent students to the NTC! William offered a graceful performance of the Haydn Concerto’s first movement on his B-flat.

High School Division - Chair: Charles Gates.

1st place winner: Matthew Kitzen-Abelson (Interlochen - Full Tuition Scholarship). Matthew performed Honegger’s Intrada: this brilliant player was also a finalist in 2004.

2nd place: Charles Babb (The Bach Award for Young Artists) performed the first movement from Ewazen’s Sonata.

3rd place: Casey Paulozzi (The Anthony L. Pasquarelli Award) performed the first movement from Boehme’s Trumpet Concerto.

College Division - Chair: Rich Stoelzel.

1st place winner: Eric Brown (TrumpeTech Bb or C Trumpet). Teacher: Charlie Geier; Eric played Tomasi.

2nd place: Karin Bliznik (The Bob & Gloria Murray Memorial Award). Teacher: Terry Everson; Karin played the Jolivet Concertino.

3rd place: Douglas Reneau (The Ron Taylor Group Award for Artistic Merit). Teacher: Keith Benjamin; Douglas played Arutunian.

Masters Division - Chair: Karl Sievers.

1st place winner: Kevin Gebo (The ITG Award for Artistic Excellence). Teacher: Bill Campbell. Gebo’s sensitive and intense performance from memory of Vivaldi’s Trumpet Concerto in A-flat on the piccolo was awarded with enthusiastic applause from the audience. He is an obvious winner.

2nd place: Robert Waugh (The Dr. Joe Utley Award for Artistry). Teacher: Karl Sievers; Robert performed from the Chaynes Concerto.

3rd place: Michael Hengst (The Ron Taylor Group Award for Artistic Merit). Teacher: Ray Sasaki; Michael performed the first movement of the Gregson Concerto.

Some more first prize winners

UCLA, Trumpet Ensemble Division - please click image for larger version

Philip Dizack, Jazz Division

Nick Harvey, Historic Instrument Division, Reiche Award

Trumpet Ensemble Division - Chair: John Winkler.

1st place winners: University of California/ Los Angeles (The ITG Award) This trumpet ensemble claimed possession of the stage from their very first note. What kind of magic wand does Jens Lindemann use to make his ten students play with such perfection and pleasure? Their two pieces, which were performed from memory, were Western Fanfare by Eric Ewazen (arranged by Daniel Rosenboom, one of the students in the ensemble) and How Many Trumpets Does it Take? by Greg McLean, an Atlanta-based trumpeter and composer. This last piece was commissioned by UCLA one month before the competition, and featured a series of styles that kept the listener’s attention the whole time. It culminated in a jazz celebration where two players, Max Hembd and Tom Terrell, took turns soloing while being enthusiastically accompanied by the rest of the ensemble. No wonder these guys were completely unbeatable!

3rd place: University of Texas/Austin (The South Ohio Music Company Award) Their coach is Ray Sasaki, and they performed Telemann’s Concerto for Four Trumpets (transcribed byArthur Frackenpohl), along with Variants with Solo Cadenzas for trumpet quartet by William Schmidt. This group was actually one of two UT Austin trumpet ensembles who made it to the semifinals.

Jazz Division – Chair: Greg Wing.

1st place winner: Philip Dizack (The GR Technologies Family Award). Dizack’s choice of music was You Don’t Know What Love Is. It was a true pleasure to hear Philip Dizack perform again: having come third in the ITG Jazz Competition in Denver 2004, and second in the NTC Jazz Competition in the same year, he more than met our expectations with his sound and musicality which are just as attractive as his stage appearance. Dizack’s first place was well deserved!

2nd place: Etienne Charles (The Stu's Music Shop, Inc. Award). Charles’ choice of music was I Can’t Give You Anything. This rising young star distinguished himself as the competition’s finest improviser. The hope of hearing him perform again is well worth a visit to NTC next year.

3rd place: Tom Krochock (The Frank Scimonelli Award) Krochock’s choice of music was Impressions. All the contestants performed Giant Steps in addition to their own choice of piece.

Historic Division - Chair: Stanley Curtis.
Sponsored by Naumann Trumpets

“Shore Award” – Kevin Abel.
“Fantini Award” – Logan Place.
“Reiche Award” – Nick Harvey.

There were five contestants competing for the Fantini Award while six went for the even more difficult Reiche Award. Nick Harvey’s beautiful phrasing, soft pianissimos, and faithfulness to the baroque sound earned him the first prize. But Crispian Steele-Perkins put words to what everyone felt when David Maller had performed Telemann’s Concerto in D on an instrument, without vent holes, of his own fabrication. Steele-Perkins exclaimed with excitement and joy, “I did not think that I would live to see someone even TRY to do this!”

Pro-Am Division - Chair: Brit Theurer.

1st place winner: Don Johnson (The Schilke Award for Artistry) Don gave a dedicated rendition of Variations on Norma on his echo-bell cornet. He also participated in the Historic Instrument Competition’s Reiche Division, while his teenage son of the same name performed in the Fantini Division.

2nd place: Jerry Miller (The Stu's Music Shop, Inc. Award) performed Slavische Fantasie.

Something unexpected happened during the NTC jam session after the jazz competition. The NTC rhythm section was still on stage and anyone could go up to deliver a few licks. But it was getting late and the audience was getting somewhat eager to call it a night. Then suddenly a small kid popped up out of nowhere and joined in. His extremely elegant improvisations and a surprisingly centered and groovy sound woke up everybody in an instant, and left the applauding audience shouting for more. Who was this young fellow? No one knew. Someone said he was one of the Middle School contestants. I really hope that he makes it back to George Mason next year so that we can enjoy his musicality once more…

Visit the NTC web site (linked below) for more details. Next year’s National Trumpet Competition will take place March 16th – 19th, 2006. Applications are due by December 15th, 2005.

Links:
National Trumpet Competition