Friedemann Immer’s U.S. Tour with Kentucky Baroque Trumpets
Friedemann Immer, a Baroque trumpet specialist who teaches at the Hochschule für Musik Köln (Cologne, Germany) recently toured the United States with the Kentucky Baroque Trumpets, a period-instrument group founded by the late Don Johnson, Jr.
Performance at St. George's Episcopal Church, Arlington, VA (L-to-R: Immer, Dovel, Veverka, Johnson, Bell, Skiba, Monroe, Curtis, Hunsaker, Lynch)
Immer has performed and recorded with many of the world's top period orchestras, including Freiburg Baroque Orchestra , the Concentus Musicus Wien, the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin , La Stagione Frankfurt, the Academy of Ancient Music, and Boston Baroque. He directs his namesake "Trumpet Consort Friedemann Immer" and is a leading editor and publisher of historically informed performance editions of Baroque music.
Immer coaches Coleman Scott at the University of Kentucky
From September 10–14, 2018, Immer and the Kentucky Baroque Trumpets (KBT) performed concerts in Kentucky, Ohio, and Virginia. The tour was organized by Don Johnson, III, son of the group’s founder. Immer was featured on the concerts as a soloist and speaker. In addition to performing, he gave master classes at surrounding universities including Eastern Kentucky University, the University of Kentucky, the University of Louisville, and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
Immer working with students at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music
Immer spoke in his master classes about the differences between natural and modern trumpets as well as techniques to improve fundamentals on both instruments. He also coached solo performers and shared what he has learned from years of performance experience. As to why he loves the natural trumpet, Immer noted,“The most interesting thing about this instrument is the sound... the more I play this, the more I see it’s not just another trumpet, it’s a different instrument.”
Performance at the University of Kentucky (L-to-R: Immer, Dovel, Veverka, Wysong)
The concert repertoire included different styles and eras of music in alignment with KBT’s mission to recreate the sounds and styles of the baroque trumpet in a variety of contexts. Works included Monteverdi’s Toccata from L’Orfeo, Britten’s Fanfare for St. Edmundsbury, Delalande’s Concert de Trompettes, Altenburg’s Concerto for Seven Trumpets and Timpani, Biber’s Sonata a 7, Handel’s Suite in D Major, Caldara’s Sonata in C Major, and Buhl’s Military Fanfare (Olympic Fanfare). Performances were held at the University of Kentucky, Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, Crescent Hill Baptist Church in Louisville, KY, and St. George’s Episcopal Church in Arlington, VA.
Immer, KBT, and the U.S. Army Old Guard (L-to-R: Immer, Curtis, Lynch, Skiba, Monroe, Hunsaker, Dovel, Johnson, Bell, Veverka)
The performance in Arlington was a joint concert between Kentucky Baroque Trumpets and the United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps. Featured soloists on this concert were Friedemann Immer, Stanley Curtis (Colorado State University), and Jason Dovel (University of Kentucky). Additional Old Guard performers included Kevin Lynch, Bill Skiba, Matthew Bell, and James Monroe. KBT members who participated in all or parts of this tour included Don Johnson III (Central State University), Leigh Anne Hunsaker (Hardin-Simmons University), and Jon Wysong (Louisville Civic Orchestra). Other trumpeters involved in the project included Jenna Veverka (freelancer, Cincinnati), Kyle Fox (student, Eastern Kentucky University), and William Lovan (student, University of Kentucky). Supporting musicians included sackbut players Hugh Lindsay (student, University of Kentucky) and Tyler Simms (student, University of Cincinnati), timpanist Michael Barnes (student, University of Cincinnati) as well as keyboard players Bill Budai (Campbellsville University) and Michael Unger (University of Cincinnati).
(Source: Jenna Veverka)