Chosen Vale 2006 participants in rehearsal, Tom Stevens on right...

... and performance. L-R: Tapio Paavilainen (Finland), Moritz Georg, (Germany), Tristram Williams (Australia), and Daniel Rosenboom (USA)

2007 poster (click to visit site)

Ed Carroll, founder of the Chosen Vale International Trumpet Seminar (a program of The Center for Advanced Musical Studies), has forwarded an article about last year's seminar, where thirty-seven trumpet players representing nine countries convened for a two-week immersion in trumpet music.

"Chosen Vale offers advanced music students - in this case trumpet players - the opportunity to study, play, and live together, with an internationally known faculty," explains Carroll.

Chosen Vale's focus is on trumpet playing but its students are not just there to perfect their fingering and breathing techniques. The Chosen Vale faculty spent a lot of time coaching seminar participants on what it means to be a musician and what it takes to create art. "We want to provide more than technical support," says Ed Carroll. "We want to offer inspiration and motivation and put technique into context." According to faculty member Stephen Burns, "Chosen Vale is about creating the music of our time. It's a precious, unique situation that gives us all - the students and the faculty - a chance to think about being artists in our community." Chosen Vale's strategy is to keep students together with faculty for both weeks - literally around the clock. The entire student-faculty community eats, lives, meets, practices, performs, and when time allows, relaxes together.

The seminar schedule includes tutorials, rehearsals, workshops, master classes, and concerts. "We don't take attendance and there are no grades, but the seminar is being offered for credit at CalArts, so it's jam packed," says Carroll. "There's so much happening that students might reach their limit."

Last summer, meals were boisterous and intense, practice sessions were squeezed in between class "breaks," classes were always well-attended and professors fully engaged as the participants took maximum benefit from their time at Chosen Vale. The 2006 group represented Italy, Luxembourg, Germany, Finland, Russia, Australia, Canada, Malaysia, and the U.S. The international draw was due in part to Chosen Vale's reach through the internet and part to its renowned faculty. Brian Hess, a participant from Miami, Florida reported that the faculty was a "big draw." Matthew Thomas, a graduate student and member of a professional military band added, "I mean ... these are the guys ... we listen to their CDs."

Faculty members included Markus Stockhausen, Gabiele Cassone, Mark Gould, David Rosenboom, and Thomas Stevens, along with Burns and Carroll. "The international trumpet community is very close and we're all connected through our careers," explains Carroll. "I invited this particular faculty to Chosen Vale because they are great artists and teachers."

Participants might have gone to Chosen Vale for the opportunity to study with a world renowned faculty. They left with a huge appreciation of one another. "One of my favorite things has been hearing everyone else play," said David Barrett from Hawaii who, at 17, was one of the youngest participants. "I'm a young student and being here has been a blast and a shock. Chosen Vale has given me something to shoot for. The people here are really good."

Carroll had to find a venue for the seminar where students and faculty could live as a community and meet for classes and practice sessions. On top of that, the seminar would be offering free concerts so a suitable assembly hall - one with good acoustics - was essential.

Carroll found his way to the Shaker Museum in Enfield, New Hampshire and immediately thought it would be perfect for the program. Students and faculty lived and ate in the Old Stone Dwelling (formerly the Shaker Inn), classes were held in the dwelling and the Stone Mill building, and concerts were held in Mary Keane Chapel.

"The Chapel is unique in North America. It feels like an old European church and the sound is terrific. Four out of our five free concerts were packed," reports Carroll. "The concerts gave the community a chance to see what was going on and students a chance to perform and present some emerging work. Our concerts are as intensive as any part of Chosen Vale. We often figure out the program the night before."

The 2006 concerts offered contemporary, classical, baroque, and improvisational music. "Handel said that he didn't want people to merely enjoy his music ... he wanted them to be changed by it," says Carroll. "That's what we're hoping to do with our concerts. That's what we want our students to reach for."

Chosen Vale 2007 is already well into planning and promotion and 2008 is more than a twinkle in Ed Carroll's eye. For more information, please visit the web site linked below or click the poster image, or send email to director at chosenvalemusic dot org.

Links:
Chosen Vale