Megumi Kanda

in Recital this Saturday

Principal Trombonist with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.

Accompanied by Pianist

Mio Nakamura

Saturday, July 25 at 2:30 pm.

Doors will open at 2:00 pm and the admission is free!

Featuring: Concerto By Grondahl,

Concertpiece by Guilmant,

Concertino by Larsson,

and others.

The event will be located at:

First Presbyterian Church of Arlington Heights

302 N. Dunton Ave,

Arlington Heights, IL

60004

For More Information

Michael Mulcahy Recital on Monday!

Monday, July 20, 06:00 PM Regenstein Recital Hall

with Yoko Yamada, piano
Works by Paul Hindemith, Halsey Stevens, Sergei Rachmaninov, and Francis Poulenc.

A member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra since his appointment by Sir Georg Solti in 1989, trombonist Michael Mulcahy has appeared as soloist and teacher in the United States, Canada, Russia, Japan, Argentina, New Zealand, Australia, and Europe, including solo appearances with the CSO, the Bavarian Radio Symphony, the Hilversum Radio Symphony, and the Melbourne Symphony. Also an active member of the Chicago Chamber Musicians, he has collaborated with such artists as Pierre Boulez, Joseph Silverstein, Christoph Eschenbach, William Bolcom, and Yo-Yo Ma. Mulcahy is principal trombone of Chicago’s Music of the Baroque and the Grand Teton Music Festival.

Admission is free.

http://www.pickstaiger.org/index.php/concerts/details/226-michael-mulcahy-trombone

Rex Martin and Gene Pokorny Solo Recitals This Monday and Tuesday!

I just received this update from my friend and colleague, Rex Martin...two great recitals happening next week.

Dear friends,

If you are free this next Monday and Tuesday nights, please feel free to join us for two tuba recitals. Monday night, July 13th, I will be presenting a free recital at 7:00 pm in Regenstein Recital Hall (MCR) on Northwestern's Evanston campus.

On Tuesday evening, also at 7:00 pm in Regenstein Recital Hall, Gene Pokorny will present a free recital.

I hope to see you soon,

Rex Martin

Low Brass Boot Camp

Day Four

Our fourth day started with Mike Becker leading a group warm up session and going over breathing and sound concepts. Much of the discussion involved going over concepts from David Vining's The Breathing Book. Mike also had the students work on incorporating yoga techniques, while trying to be relaxed and balanced. After working on starting one note with the right kind of breath and sound, Mike had everyone apply the same principals to Hungarian March by Hector Berlioz. He emphasized the use of air and control over using heavy articulation.



Next, we were very fortunate to have a masterclass with Dr. Kelly Thomas. Kelly Thomas is the Tuba and Euphonium instructor at the University of Arizona and a renowned soloist. The focus of Dr. Thomas' class was on recital preparation. He discussed the importance of analyzing various reference recordings, knowing the score, recording yourself and doing as many mock performances as possible. Dr Thomas also distributed an outline entitled Strategies to Correct Pedagogy Problems. While he went over this topic, he ask for input from the students. Dr. Thomas' outline was broken down into these sections...

1. Poor Rhythm
2. Inefficient Embouchure
3. Poor Airflow
4. Poor Posture
5. Poor Finger/Tongue Coordination
6. Poor Sight Reading
7. Untrained Ear
8. Poor Intonation
9. Poor Preparation of Materials for Lesson
10. Double Buzz
11. "Choking" Before Attack of Note
12. Poor High Register
13. Poor Low Register
14. Nervous or Stage Fright Problem
15. Poor Single Tonguing/Multiple Tonguing
16. Poor Flexibility

The final part of his class was reserved for both tuba students to play for him and the class.

Day Four's session ended with breaking into three groups in preparation for a short mock audition. Mike Becker worked with the tenor trombones, I worked with the bass trombones and Kelly Thomas worked with the tubas. At the end of the day, Mike and I sat behind a screen while each student came in individually for another mock audition.