George Vosburgh performs a selection from Arban

Vosburgh listens to Andy Woodard perform a Charlier etude

George Vosburgh, Principal Trumpet of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, presented a master class at Indiana University of Pennsylvania on Tuesday, February 21st.

Mr Vosburgh is a celebrated soloist and lecturer and is internationally acclaimed for his virtuosity on the trumpet in recordings, concerts and recitals. In 1992 he joined the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra as Principal Trumpet. Recordings featuring George Vosburgh include Four Trumpet Concerti, Holiday Musik, andTrumpet Masterworks. As a guest lecturer, Mr. Vosburgh has appeared in universities across the United States. He also has lectured at the International Trumpet Guild’s annual conference. He is currently on the faculty of Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh.

Mr. Vosburgh is a graduate of the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music, where he was Principal Trumpet and featured soloist with the Eastman Wind Ensemble. He began his career as an orchestral trumpeter at age 19 as third trumpet and assistant principal of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of David Zinman. After three years with Rochester, he joined the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the direction of the late Sir Georg Solti as the youngest member of that orchestra’s world-famous brass section.

Mr. Vosburgh began his master class at IUP by playing an excerpt from the “Art of Phrasing” section of Arban’s methods book. However, this excerpt is found only in the 3-volume Leduc edition of Arban’s book. The piece was much more demanding than many of the “Art of Phrasing” selections found in the Goldman “Complete Conservatory” edition. Vosburgh recommended that students consider buying the Leduc edition, which contains many more works of this caliber.

Several students performed during the 90-minute master class, including:

• Mindy Hartfiel (sophomore music education major) – Purcell / Voisin Sonata (Mvt. I)
• Jordan Canner (junior music education major) – Charlier Solo de Concours
• Kyle Fleming (junior music education major) – Bozza Rustiques
• Andrew Woodard (junior music education major) – Charlier "Etude No. 4" from 26 Etudes Transcendental

Mr. Vosburgh worked with each student, and offered the following ideas: regarding the Purcell, he prefers that works be performed in their original keys, and encouraged Ms. Hartfiel to perform the Sonata in C Major, rather than the B-flat version. For other performances he spoke of articulation and commented that he would rather “Over-articulate” than run the risk of cracking a note. He also encouraged students to exaggerate their dynamics: “Follow the line. When the music gets higher, play louder; when the music gets lower, play softer!”

He also spoke about different makes and types of mouthpieces and trumpets, mentioning that he prefers the sound of the Bach trumpet. The “feel” of the trumpet is less important than the sound it gets, he stated.

Mr. Vosburgh shared a handout that included suggested solos, orchestral recordings, and the instruments he uses on many orchestral works. Mr. Vosburgh’s appearance was sponsored by the IUP Department of Music as part of a partnership begun in 2001 with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. This partnership brings several members of the PSO to the IUP campus for clinics and master classes, and features the Pittsburgh Symphony Chamber Orchestra in concert on the IUP campus. For more information, please visit the second IUP web page listed below.

Websites:
George Vosburgh at the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Music at IUP
PSCO partnership events at IUP (please scroll/search down list)