Recent Performances

I finally got a chance to upload some recent performances. I have a vimeo music page here:
http://vimeo.com/user7023630

At lesser quality, I downloaded them on youtube as well.

I performed the Haydn Concerto at the Carpenter Theater in Richmond, Virginia with the Richmond Youth Symphony, conducted by Erin Freeman. In May, I gave a recital with long time friend, Michael Lodico. We first met at our first year at the Curtis Institute of Music and performed together a lot during those 4 years.  He is now an organist at St. John's Episcopal in DC.

I will post my Jolivet Concertino performance sometime this summer once I get the footage. Next season, I have some recitals set up in Florida and Richmond, a duo recital with trumpeter David Dash, Copland's Quiet City, another Haydn Concerto with orchestra, and more! Check my website for dates.
For the rest of the summer I am performing opera at the Santa Fe Opera, and learning my recital music for next season!

Farewell, VCU!

It has been an insane month of traveling back and forth from Richmond to Naples. I finished my last semester of teaching at Virginia Commonwealth University. I chose to resign after four years because I have been living in Naples, Florida, since September. I will still travel to perform with the RSO, but the added weeks of teaching are just too much. I have new chamber music projects and teaching here in Naples.

Rex Richardson hired me when I was 25, and I basically had no experience teaching. I've grown so much learning how to be a good teacher. Teaching has enriched my life, and I have become a better musician and person from this. I will miss the studio dearly. I hope to come back next year for a recital and masterclass.

VCU trumpet studio, 2010-11

Trumpet faculty recital from 2008

Taylor Barnett, Brian Strawley, Rex Richardson, Mary Bowden

A few more video links from YouTube

Here is a short film about me. It's funny that it is in Philly, and it makes me look like I am still in school. YouTube called me to interview me before I found out that I had made it into YTSO, and I was in Philadelphia for an audition. So they interviewed me at Curtis. And Bilger makes a brief appearance as well (we were going out for lunch). Isn't it amazing that you get a one minute video after 6 hours of interviewing?

And here is the Vienna Philharmonic Fanfare from the Finale Concert:

And Stravinsky's Firebird (I was playing second on this):

Australia 2011

Last month I was a member of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011. It was quite the experience. Musicians from 33 countries ages 14-49 participated, some even taking leave from their orchestra jobs for the week. The Grand Finale concert was the largest stream ever on YouTube-the previous leader was U2 live on YouTube.

Here you can find links to the concert and other interviews:

http://www.youtube.com/user/symphony

I arrived a half a week early to do some sightseeing and I stayed with my mom’s penfriend, Heidi. My mom has 50 penfriends from all over the world, and I’ve been able to meet a few of them on my travels. Heidi lives in Rooty Hill-still part of Sydney, but about an hour from the center. I enjoyed the mornings waking up to a chorus of birds at 7am. 

We went to an animal park and I got to pet and feed some wallabies and kangaroos. I was disappointed to hear that holding a koala was not allowed in NSW since they are the cutest animals ever…

We also went hiking in the Blue Mountains. They are called the Blue Mountains because of the blue haze caused by the oil of the Eucalyptus trees.

Before the week of rehearsals started, I climbed the Sydney Harbor Bridge. We weren't allowed to bring cameras, so I will just have to remember the sun setting over the Blue Mountains in the distance. 

The YouTube Symphony Week was so much work! But it was the good kind of work…I had a very short amount of time to learn the Stravinsky Octet, which was the most rewarding part of the week for me. Little did I know I would be sitting in between Bill Williams (former principal trumpet of San Francisco Symphony) and Ian Bousfield (principal trombone of Vienna Phil) with Håkan Hardenberger conducting. This is my new favorite piece (I'm very envious of the bassoon parts...)

We rehearsed in orchestra 3 hours a day (one day was 6 hours) along with ensemble rehearsals (I was in the brass and woodwind concerts). I'm hoping YouTube will post "Set To" by Turnage and the Octet. YouTube posted the encore we played with the least amount of rehearsal, but it was fun (Sarah Willis of the Berlin Phil, Bill Williams, Ian Bousfield, and Håkan Hardenberger joined us onstage). 

The finale concert was amazing-I was impressed with the balance of technology with a high level of music making. The light show on the inside was impressive, but I wish I had been outside as well. An artist projected live art onto the Sydney Opera House as we performed. 

Also be sure to check out my favorite piece of the night, Ascending Bird. It featured the string section and a sand artist (it's is amazing what can be done with sand! You have to watch this!) We also performed a piece by Mason Bates which featured soloists (a Richmond connection here-I've played a few of Mason's pieces with the Richmond Symphony, as he is a native to rva).

I was very inspired working with a group of passionate musicians from very different backgrounds. We had tons of music to put together in a very short amount of time and we adapted well. A lot more can be said about the experience, but I recommend just watching the concert. It will be interesting to see what the next YTSO will do, but I am hoping they take the same group on tour! Here are a few more photos from the week:

 After the brass ensemble concert with Sarah Willis and David Cooper

 View of the Opera House and the bridge from our boat tour

 Rehearsal at the Opera house

 All of the orchestra with MTT!

 YTSO trumpeters: Travis Peterson, Jeremy Garnett, Pedro Silva, and me with Bill Williams

 Loved playing with this section!

View from outside during our finale concert

Live from Brussels, Belgium!

I am writing this while listening/watching a performance of one of my favorite pieces, Mahler 6, on television here in Brussels. Reminds me of the end of a great summer at the Lucerne Festival-we ended with this piece at Lucerne Hall with Boulez conducting...I wish I had more Mahler in my life...(alas, budget cuts in orchestras, sigh...)

So this is the end of my first day in Brussels (really my second, but I failed yesterday and slept ALL DAY after my overnight flight, whoops!) I just finished drinking a delicious beer at Le Coach in the Montgomery neighborhood where I am staying. I am not much of a drinker, but I enjoy a high quality beer at times.

I have to say, I am not used to traveling alone so much, I get a little lonely, but I just have to make sure I am armed with a book. I don't want to miss out just because I am alone...I did catch myself doing trumpet fingerings at the table, and received a few strange looks...

Earlier today, famished, I went to a tourist trap because I was so hungry. Monk's in Philadelphia is a million times better than the place I went to today...bland fries and OK mussels. Unfortunately the mussels were covered in giant onions. I have a slight onion allergy, so I had to deal with the onion headache afterwards. 22 euros later, live and learn. Stay away from restaurants near Grand Place. Tourist traps=no good.

Whenever I have limited time to visit a city, I just walk as much as possible. The architecture here is stunning. I really wish the photos did it justice-it was so gray today, so the photos obviously look a bit drab.

This is near the Grand Place/Central Station. I also visited the Magritte Museum and art muesem-it was great to see some work I was unfamiliar with.

Looking for the museum, I asked for directions from a couple who had asked me take their photo. They asked where I was from, and I said, "Florida." They said they are now living in Naples, Florida...I was feeling really disconnected because of traveling alone (one of my best friends was supposed to come with me on this trip), and it was great to make a connection on the other side of the planet! Now I have some new friends to call when I return to paradise (ahem, home).

Well, tomorrow is another adventure, but I also must remember to practice and focus for the competition this weekend! I've never done an only trumpet competition-this should be an interesting new experience. And I am excited to see another new city (Antwerp).

George Takei and Sci-fi Concert

This week, with the Naples Philharmonic conducted by charismatic Jack Everly, we performed 7 Sci-fi concerts, which included E.T., Star Wars, Phantom Menace, all of the Star Trek themes, Star Trek 2009, the Jetsons, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Superman, ...and more.
And I got to meet one of my favorite celebrities, George Takei (Sulu on Star Trek). Oh My!

George was the narrator for the show...it was quite the workout this week! If you know these pieces, you know they are VERY trumpet heavy. I was really impressed with Matt, the principal trumpeter of Naples Philharmonic. He has endless endurance! I enjoyed playing third-lots of melodies, and some fun low solos.

My favorite pieces of music were E.T. and Star Trek 2009 (just watched the movie again!). I was relieved that we ended up cutting the music to "Avator." Not great music...and I haven't seen the movie (I probably never will). This week definitely proved my sci-fi dork inside because now I want to rewatch a lot of movies and shows...(Star Trek: Next Generation for sure!)

Now it's time to practice completely different music-I have to memorize the Böhme and Leopold Mozart Concertos plus a commissioned piece this week before I go to Belgium. Good thing I work well getting work done last minute! :-)

Welcome to my blog!

Hello everyone! This is my first blog post. I wanted to have one to write about music, trumpet, traveling, and to post photos from trips and performances! 

Here's a video about me that I made for the Youtube Symphony!