Here are my upcoming gigs! Comp tickets are sometimes available, so if you’d like to come let me know!
Sun 12/3, 2pm — Vermont Trombone Choir @ Vergennes Opera House
Fri 12/8, 9pm — High Summer @ Sawtooth (Hanover NH)
Sat 12/9, 7pm — Brian McCarthy Big Band @ McCarthy Arts Center, St. Michael’s College
Fri 12/15, 8pm — High Summer @ Stowe Cider
Sat 12/16, 10am rehearsal, 1pm concert — Tuba Christmas @ Church St, Burlington
Sat 12/16, 7:30pm — Musica Solaris @ First Congregational Church UCC, Burlington
Sun 12/17, 3pm — Musica Solaris @ UCC Waterbury
Monteverdi Recital, April 9
Several students recently performed on a virtual recital hosted by the Monteverdi Music School. Big congratulations to Gretchen, Molly and Noah for their performances, but also for their drive to keep on practicing during a pandemic, when ensemble playing is pretty much non-existant. It is not an easy thing to do, but these students have shown their grit and should feel very proud of their achievements. Here are their performances. Thank you!
The next recital is on Friday, May 14th at 6pm, and will include students Cosmo, Farah and Ben. Here’s the zoom link if you’d like to tune in.
Signal Boost: Lassus Trombone as a work of racism.
I just read a very important post by Doug Yeo, in which he discusses the history of Fillmore’s Lassus Trombone, a piece I remember playing in High School. At the time, I had no idea that it and its companion pieces were musical caricatures, direct descendants of the racist minstrel shows of the 19th century.
I’m sharing this link because I feel it’s extremely important that trombonists, especially white ones, reckon with this history. Even if you’ve never heard of Lassus Trombone, this post illustrates how pervasive systemic racism is, leaching into even something as fun as High School band. Take a few minutes to read it.
Be forewarned, there are racist depictions of African-Americans in this post.