Lamar University hosts inaugural Brass Festival
Lamar University’s Mary Morgan Moore Department of Music will host its inaugural Brass Festival, a three-day event celebrating brass instrumentalists, April 7-9, in the Simmons Music Building.
The festival will offer guest artist, faculty and student performances, master classes, clinics and exhibits. It will conclude with a gala concert featuring world-renowned trumpeter Allen Vizzutti performing with LU’s Brass Choir and Cardinal Jazz Orchestra. Festival admission is $20 per person and is open to the public.
“As the only music event of its kind in Southeast Texas, we hope the festival will reach a wide audience of music students and educators, brass music enthusiasts and the general concert-going public,” said Brian Shook, associate professor of trumpet and one of the festival’s organizers. “Our purpose is to educate, inspire and entertain those in attendance by bringing world-renowned artists into our community to perform alongside our faculty and students.”
Guest artist Allen Vizzutti performs as both a classical and jazz artist. He has played at the Hollywood Bowl, Carnegie Hall, Newport Jazz Festival, Banff Center for the Performing Arts, Montreaux Jazz Festival and Lincoln Center. Vizzutti attended the Eastman School of Music, where he earned a Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees. As artist in residence, Vizzutti has taught at many leading universities, including the Eastman School of Music, the Banff Center for the Performing Arts and the Trompeten Akademie of Bremen, Germany. His extensive methodology books, “The Allen Vizzutti Trumpet Method” series and his “New Concepts for Trumpet,” have become standard works for trumpet study worldwide.
Vizzutti has visited more than 40 countries and every state in America to perform with a variety of artists and ensembles. While living in Los Angeles during the 1980s, Vizzutti performed on more than 100 motion picture soundtracks, such as “Back to the Future” and “Star Trek,” as well as in countless television programs and commercials.
The Edaren Foundation and Pickett Brass have generously donated several scholarships for people with significant financial need. Please contact Brian Shook at brian.shook@lamar.edu for more details.
Festival Schedule
Thursday, April 7
7:30 p.m. - Faculty Brass Quintet recital, Rothwell Recital Hall
Friday, April 8
7:30 p.m. - Faculty solo recitals with pianist Jacob Clark, Rothwell Recital Hall
Saturday, April 9
9 a.m. - 4:45 p.m. - Brass exhibitor booths open, Wiley Rehearsal Hall
10 a.m. - Brass chamber music workshop with the Faculty Brass Quintet, Honors Brass Quintet and local high school brass ensembles, Rothwell Recital Hall
1 p.m. – Master class with Allen Vizzutti, Rothwell Recital Hall
2:30 p.m. – Master class with Randy Lee, assistant professor of trumpet at the University of Florida, Rothwell Recital Hall
5 p.m. - Gala concert featuring Allen Vizzutti with the LU Brass Choir and Cardinal Jazz Orchestra, University Theatre
Pictured
Top: The LU Faculty Brass Quintet, left to right: Professor Robert Culbertson, French horn; Assistant Professor Timothy Dueppen, trombone; Adjunct Instructor Victor Gomez, tuba; Student Eric Diaz, trumpet; and Associate Professor Brian Shook, trumpet.
Bottom: Eric Diaz, an undergraduate music performance major from Baytown, Texas, plays the trumpet for the LU Faculty Brass Quintet.
