Report from UGA BQ Festival (LONG)


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Posted by David Zerkel on March 19, 2001 at 12:43:15:

Since my ten o'clock has the stomach flu, I thought I'd take a minute to report on the events of the Brass Quintet festival that took place over the weekend at UGA.

First, the competitions: There were four categories of competition... open (professional), college, high school and recreational. The level of playing through each of the levels was very good. It was encouraging, with the best groups to hear a real "chamber music" (five people playing as one) concept.

The winners of the competions were as follows:
Open:
1st- L.A. Brass- currently in residency in Maine as part of an Arts America fellowship
2nd- Ewald Brass from Budapest, Hungary
3rd- Bulldog Brass- the graduate quintet of the University of Georgia

College:
1st- UNCG
2nd- UGA
3rd- Northwestern

High School:
1st- A fine group from Champaign Urbana, IL
2nd- Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra BQ
3rd- A group form North Georgia/ suburban Chatanooga

Recreational:
Although only one group participated in this event, they were very good and seemed to really enjoy the quintet as an outlet. The were the "Light Metal Brass Quintet" from the Detroit area. They won first prize, and sadly the rest of the prize money went unspent.

The featured quintets for the week were all really inspiring. St. Louis Brass Quintet played a great set that featured a couple of premieres...one by Tony Plog and another by James DeMars.

The next night, Art of Brass Vienna (in their US debut) performed a great ecclectic program. The sound of the group was fantastically unique...they use rotary trumpets and single vienna horn with pumpen valves. Jon Sass wowed the crowd not only with the really groovy playing that we associate with him, but with his command over the palate of colors of which the tuba is capable. Earlier in the day, the Sovereign Brass out of Orlando put on a great show of lighter rep, which was welcomed by the conference crowd.

Saturday evening the German Brass performed a concert that both faculty and students are calling the greatest live performance they've ever heard. Unbelievable! If this group (and art of Brass Vienna) were managed in the US, they would be selling out concert halls year round. I think these performances really opened the eyes of the American brass playing establishment! Perhaps we're a little presumptious in assessing our standing in the big picture. Also on Saturday evening was a great performance by one of my favorite groups, Rhythm 'n' Brass. They were fantastic as usual!

The final guest groups performed on Sunday. The True North Brass Quintet from Canada led things off with a varied program performed with real finesse. Outstanding performances all the way around, but especially from their trombonist, Alastair Kay, who is lead trombone in Rob McConnell's Boss Brass. Also some very tasty playing from the tuba player, Scott Irvine. Later the Atlanta Symphony Quintet performed Michael Tilson Thomas's Street Song, a very cool work. Rounding out the program was a solid performance by the Warner Robbins Air Force Reserve Brass Quintet.

Now, I rarely go a week with unbridled enthusiam for everything I hear, but the playing that I heard this week made me feel like an advanced beginner. I am "recharged" and ready to try and push myself to the next level.

For any quintet that loves to play, I really recommend that you check out the UGA festival in 2003. I think that any group that was here took a lot that they could use back home. It would be great to see wider participation in the Open division and the Recreational division!

Sorry for the long winded post...I just had to get it out of my system!

DZ



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