Fellowship performers at Memorial Church with the Bay Brass

Jens Lindemann performing with select students

The fifth annual Summer Brass Institute and Festival offered a musical feast for the many trumpeters and other brass players who attended. From the Memorial Church Festival Concert by Bay Brass professionals—joined in select works by Fellowship recipients from among the participants—to the final concert of chamber music, the weeklong institute provided ten quintets and eleven large ensembles with plenty of rehearsal and coaching from 9 to 5 each day. Located on the campus of Menlo School on the San Francisco Peninsula, Festival events featured wonderful artistry by the professionals, and attracted skilful, enthusiastic participants along with interested audience. The Bay Brass, a 13-member ensemble including leading players from five Bay Area orchestras, served as faculty members, including trumpeter and ITG member David Burkhart, professor of trumpet at the San Francisco Conservatory; James Dooley, principal trumpet, San Jose Symphony; Bill Williams, acting principal trumpet with the San Francisco Symphony, and Glenn Fischthal, principal trumpet for 28 years with the San Francisco Symphony. Special guest artist was Jens Lindemann, formerly of the Canadian Brass, and currently head of trumpet performance at UCLA: he is also renowned for his recording projects.

The Festival offered an embarrassment of riches for trumpet, beginning with Mario Guarneri’s class on The Art of Two Worlds, in which he discussed and demonstrated techniques of breathing and musicianship common to worlds of jazz and classical performance. Next came James Dooley, principal trumpet with Symphony Silicon Valley and Bay Brass artist, in a class on the Symphonic Art of Trumpet. Dooley demonstrated excerpts from audition lists, and helped students achieve full and glorious playing through his uplifting, systematic approach to sound and music-making.

Jens Lindemann swept energetically onto the grounds in his blue Jaguar to teach a series of lessons in which he galvanized participants with his trademark verve. His master class erupted into the evening with his virtuosic playing and his anecdotal summary of a meteoric career. Students followed his example in championing modern works for trumpet; Erik Thogerson performed the Ketting Intrada, Aaron Kahn performed Tomasi, Suzy Corgiat performed Ewazen. On the next evening, in a concert showcasing professionals and aspiring professionals, two quintets comprised of advanced conservatory and pre-professional young artists performed music by Enrique Bozza and Vagn Holmboe. Opening this virtuosic evening was Bay Brass trumpeter James Dooley, playing piccolo trumpet in the Vivaldi A flat concerto. Bay Brass tuba artist Peter Wahrhaftig played Ralph Vaughn Williams’ Tuba Concerto, accompanied by a group of young brass artists in the Littlemore arrangement for brass. Jens Lindemann closed the evening with a performance of Vizzuti’s “Rising Sun” arranged for a brass ensemble comprised of talented participants, bringing the audience to its feet with the dazzling speed and musicianship of the performance. 

Plentiful demonstrations, lessons, and a trip to the San Francisco Symphony to hear faculty members in action usually form part of the fabric of daily life for participating brass players,  including Californians and musicians from around the USA and the world. Participants have daily performance opportunities. For information about Summer Brass Institute and Festival in summer 2008, please visit the website below.

Link:
Summer Brass Institute and Festival