Greetings all!

I have a couple of days off during a residency in Vail with the New York Philharmonic and finally have some time to update my site.

2009 has been a great year so far…busy but rewarding. Many of you know that my life is filled with teaching, playing and traveling. During the school year I teach full time at Indiana University and part time at Northwestern and Roosevelt Universities. This coming year I will have 22 students at IU, 7 at NU and 1 at RU. Yup…30 trombone students a week…in addition to playing with some of the world’s great orchestras. How do I do it? Well, I am not so sure myself. It is a punishing schedule but the energy of the students and the rush of the great orchestras keep me fueled. Even though I may grumble, I realize that I am “living the dream.” No one will feel sorry for me.

Thanks for dropping by and maybe we will meet on down the road…I hope so.

2009 began with a wonderful Brahms 2 with the amazing young conductor Gustavo Dudamel and the CSO. BTW, as of this writing, this concert as well as many others are available (FREE) online through the CSO’s website: http://www.cso.org

The day after the CSO Brahms concerts ended I played Mahler 3 in Carnegie Hall with members of the NY Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera, Philadelphia Orchestra. Joseph Alessi played the solo and I sat next to him, with David Finlayson on the other side,  with Steve Norrell and Alan Baer rounding out the low brass section. What a great experience to be with these gentlemen for this performance. It was a benefit concert for Children of AIDS. More information about the concert can be found here: http://mahlerforthechildren.org

Believe it or not, this was my first performance in Carnegie Hall. Of course, I have been an audience member many times but until January 2009, had never performed on stage. I returned a couple of months later for two concerts with the Chicago Symphony and Pierre Boulez, so 2009 has been my Carnegie Hall year. Here is a phone camera shot from my seat with the CSO, looking out into Carnegie:

In late January/early February I played on a CSO Asian tour. In addition to concerts with the orchestra, I played concerts in Tokyo and Hong Kong with the CSO Brass. This group affords me the most challenging playing that I encounter. The group has an extremely high level of artistry and I am always honored to be included. Here are a couple of photos backstage in Japan and Hong Kong...and one on the bus.

I visited Western Michigan University in March for a masterlcass and recital. Steve Wolfinbarger was the consummate host and I enjoyed my experience immensely.

Ring Day 2009 may have been a bigger success than 2008. Ring Day 2008 will always be remembered as the first and therefore etched into our brains as special. Ring Day 2009 was a different groove as many people already knew what to expect. I am already looking forward to Ring Day 2010.

These photos sum it up:

At the end of May, Deborah and I traveled to Switzerland to attend a party for Maestro Bernard Haitink. It was a wonderful weekend loaded with great music, great food and great scenery. While in Luzern, we visited Tribschen, the one-time home of Richard Wagner. It was humbling (as it was in 2005 at Bayreuth) to be in the same space as one of the greatest composers who ever lived. To look out and see what Wagner saw was awe-inspiring. Some of his greatest works were composed here.

The summer has included several weeks playing with New York Philharmonic including performing (and recording) Mahler’s gargantuan Symphony No. 8. It was a thrill for me to play onstage with Mssrs. Alessi, Finlayson, Markey and Baer. I am currently enjoying the beauty of Vail, Colorado with the NYP.

Earlier this month I was a judge for the Music Academy of the West’s concerto competition. It was great to be back at the Academy, where I taught a few years ago. I was impressed with the level of playing…and a trombone player (Vanessa Fralick) was one of the winners with her terrific performance of the Grondahl Concerto. I have some thoughts regarding these competitions, which I will address in a future blog. BTW----MORE BLOGS COMING!

The focus of the immediate future is the 2009 Alessi Seminar. This is the 10th Anniversary Seminar and we believe it will be the best yet. For those who have never been to a seminar I urge you to visit http://www.alessiseminar.com. This is the most important week in trombone as evidenced by those who have attended in previous years. If you are seriously considering being a successful orchestral trombonist you must attend this seminar. If you are not serious, you won’t. It is a chance to spend a week with our Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan. There is information shared at the Alessi Seminar that one cannot find elsewhere and it is no secret why his students have been the most successful in the past 10 years. We have worked very hard to make it the most valuable experience available. Plus…if you come, you’ll receive a tube of ChopSaver.

Finally, be looking for news regarding my upcoming recording. I have restarted the project and hope to have a CD for you within the year. Here is a picture of the mixing board to pique your curiosity: