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When I was nine years old and started playing the trombone, if someone had told me that as a result of playing the trombone, I would have played at a National Football League Superbowl (Superbowl XXXVI), an NBA Finals game, and a Major League Baseball American League Champoinship Series game (Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees - the Red Sox won), as well as innumerable other sporting events, I would have told you that you were crazy. But such is my life, full of unexpected blessings and pleasures. Go Celtics! Beat LA!

I can thank my friend, Roger Green, of County Wiltshire, England, for introducing me to the sound of the British Brass Band in the mid 1980s. My interest in this kind of ensemble - which I had never heard or even heard of before Roger introduced me to it - grew over the years and reached a climax when I travelled to England to record my first solo CD, Proclamation with the Black Dyke Mills Band. Several pieces were commissioned for inclusion on that recording and when I asked around the Boston area if there was a brass band with which I might be able to read through the new music, I was introduced to the New England Brass Band. Several years later, when then Music Director William Rollins stepped down from leading the band through its first nine years, I was asked to take over the podium. Initially a bit reluctant due to my already busy schedule, I was persuaded to accept the band's invitation - by my wife, who had for some time wanted a group in which she could play baritone horn. And so began a 10 year collaboration that has far exceeded my wildest thoughts when I first began.

The activities of the band are detailed on the New England Brass Band's website. But a few highlights are worth remembering here. The NEBB has attended the North American Brass Band Association Championships five times (and will return a sixth time in March 2008). In 2004 the band won first place in the "Challenge" section and in 2006 it took first place in the "Honors" section (scroll down on this page to the entries for April 2, 2006 and April 17, 2004, for some commentary on those events). These trips to the NABBA Championships have been rich times for the band as we have prepared to give very special performances. We have also recorded five best selling CDs, the most recent of which, Be Glad Then America, was released in November of this year (see the entry for November 17 on this page); it has subsequently been awarded first place in the 2007 North American Brass Band Association "Recording of the Year" contest. Recorded in Boston's Symphony Hall, these recordings have been one of the great joys of my 10 year collaboration with the NEBB. We have played concerts throughout New England, from the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts to Gorham, Maine, and dozens of venues in between. A concert at the 2007 International Trumpet Guild Conference, a program in Symphony Hall celebrating the 125th anniversary of the Boston Symphony (where the band was guest conducted by Boston Pops conductor, Keith Lockhart) and a concert celebrating the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II (sponsored by the British community in Boston) are among other highlights.

Yet the greatest highlights have been our weekly Monday night band rehearsals. These have been memorable times, both musically and socially, when the band gathers to prepare our concert programs. I am so pleased to have been a part of this hard working, talented group of musicians who, without receiving any salary or payment of any kind (I accept no salary, either), bring their best to the band's rehearsals each week. I will miss them. But nothing can go on forever and I feel I am being called to some other activities that simply cannot be squeezed into my schedule as it is currently structured. This is the right decision for the right reasons at the right time, but it is still a bit bittersweet as my wife and I will leave a group that has become such a big part of our lives.

My last concert as Music Director of the New England Brass Band will be on June 1, 2008, at Hope Church in Lenox, Massachusetts (see the band's website for its full concert calendar). As I cut off the last chord of the concert, a flood of memories will come over me as I move to the next stage of my relationship with the NEBB - that of enthusiastic audience member. Until then, we will enjoy our remaining concerts and rehearsals together as we enjoy the conclusion of this 10 year collaboration. Sempre avanti!

Together Norman and I have shared countless musical moments. They have not all been transcendent - no honest musician will tell you that every moment in performance is all he would hope it would be. But there have been many, many special moments that we have shared, moments that have forever shaped me. Mahler 7 with Bernard Haitink, Bruckner 3 with Kurt Sanderling, recording sessions with John Williams, premieres of Norman's compositions, "Le Grotte Cosquer" (duet for tenor and bass trombone) and "Passions of Survival" (for trombone and orchestra - I conducted the premiere with Norman as soloist). I could not name them all if I tried. But they are all out there, moments in time that inform other moments. And after today, they take on a new kind of meaning because I know that Norman and I will not create any more of those moments together as members of the Boston Symphony.

While this transition is difficult and very emotional for me - after all, Norman and I are good friends who have shared music over the last two + decades of working together - I am very happy for him. Norman and I are nearly the same age - he is five months older than me - but his life path brought him to the Boston Symphony 10 years before I came in 1985; I held many other jobs before I came to Boston (playing for four years in the Baltimore Symphony, working as a high school band director for two years and free lancing in New York City for three years). As a result, Norman has an opportunity to take advantage of retirement from the Boston Symphony at a relatively young age. He has many plans for whatever days he is given in his future. You can read about Norman and his activities on his blog, frequencybone.blogspot.com and on the website for the company he and his wife manage that is the umbrella for the publication of Norman's compositions and his and Carol's shared musical endeavor, the "Frequency Band," which is Air-ev Productions.

There is much, much more I could write about such a friend as Norman, and the meaning of this transition. But for now, it is best for me to use the words that cannot be spoken. I wish my friend well in his new journey and look forward to the continued development of our friendship in the days ahead. This photo, taken by BSO principal oboist John Ferrillo just a few days ago, shows Ron, Norman and me at Symphony Hall. I like this photo. I like it a lot. There are many stories behind our eyes. And many more yet to be told.

Jay Krush (of the Chestnut Brass Company) and I played ophicleide in the performance and I also played serpent in the opening statements of the "Dies irae," following Berlioz's original intentions. During Kelly's lecture, I also came to the apron of the stage where I spoke a bit on the history of the serpent and then played the "Dies irae" on serpent with a group of six male singers from Harvard, simulating performance in a French church of the time. I played his Monk Workshop serpent (1996, London, walnut, 1 key) and Roehn ophicleide (c. 1855, Paris, in C, 9 keys) and Jay played his Butler and Son ophicleide (c. 1860, Soho, London, in C, 11 keys). It was a great pleasure to work once again with Jay Krush, a tremendous person and musician, and to hear this movement of Berlioz's "Sinfonie" with period instruments (I had previously played the fourth movement of the "Sinfonie" for the same class at Harvard in 2002) was enlightening.

Trombonist Howard Knapp obtained copies of these recordings and when I was made aware of them, we learned that they are the earliest known recordings by any group of players from the Boston Symphony Orchestra. These historical recordings caught the attention of both the Boston Globe newspaper and Boston radio station WGBH. On October 21, the Boston Globe ran a lengthy story about the recordings by Geoff Edgers on page one of its "Living/Arts" section and on October 22, I was interviewed on WGBH radio when host Ron della Chiesa and I discussed the recordings and the players and the recordings were aired, perhaps for the first time. All of this coincided nicely with the 125th anniversary of the Boston Symphony which gave its first concert on October 22, 1881.

I have written a new article about these recordings, The Boston Symphony Orchestra Trombone Quartet: The 1906 Victor Recordings which includes many photos, archival documents from the Boston Symphony and BMG (Victor) archives, commentary and mp3 files of these important recordings. Research is ongoing and I expect to be updating this article from time to time as we learn more about the recordings and the players who were part of making history as a result.

Yesterday the New England Brass Band (NEBB), of which I am music director, competed at the 24th North American Brass Band Championships held on the campus of Indiana Unviersity Southeast in New Albany, Indiana (across the river from Louisville, Kentucky). Sponsored by the North American Brass Band Association, this year's contest was the fourth time the NEBB had particpated. In 2004, the NEBB took first place in the "Challenge" section at NABBA XXII (see my commentary below for April 17, 2004, for my thoughts on that contest victory). This year, the band decided to move up to the "Honors" section which meant being in a more competitive section and having to play significantly more difficult music. The test piece for the Honors section this year was Gilbert Vinter's "Spectrum" and we played Philip Sparke's "The Year of the Dragon" to fill out our contest program. At the awards ceremony after the contest, we were thrilled to have our band announced as the winner of the Honors section. Running up to the stage to accept the trophy (the photo at left shows my wife and me with the first place trophy) and banner (the photo at right shows me accepting the banner and trophy which was presented by NABBA President Anita Cocker Hunt) was an unforgettable moment - looking out at our band members who were standing and cheering I could only think what a privilege it is to work each week with such a talented and committed group of people. Brass banding, to me, represents the best of the amateur music world. Players getting together not for money but simply to make music together. The NABBA contest is a special way for us to interact with people in other bands from around the country and to spend more time with our own band members as we eat meals, travel and play together. Our hosts at Indiana University Southeast organized an excellent weekend which included a solo and small ensemble contest as well. NEBB Eflat bass player Mark Fabulich won third place in the Adult Low Instrument Slow Melody solo contest and the band's flugelhorn player, Kevin Maloney, won third place in the Adult High Instrument Slow Melody solo contest. In all it was a special weekend for all of us in the New England Brass Band and one which found the band growing musically and inter-personally. Full results of the contest can be found on the NABBA Music Resources Website and a full report about the contest can be found on the website of 4BarsRest.com.

To the members of the NEBB I am happy to say, once again, how proud I am of all of you and how fortunate I am to be the leader of a band full of such high quality individuals.

Reprinted from the Boston Symphony Orchestra Program Book, March 15 - May 6, 2006.

Celebrating Berlioz: A Special Display at Symphony Hall, Boston.

No single composer has been more closely identified with the Boston Symphony Orchestra than Hector Berlioz (1803-1869). Championed here in the past half-century particularly by Charles Munch and Seiji Ozawa, Berlioz's music continues to figure prominently in the BSO's programming under James Levine, who led Berlioz's "Le Corsaire" Overture and "Symphonie fantastique" earlier this season and has scheduled "La Damnation de Faust" for 2006-07. This April, guest conductor Rafael Frubeck de Burgos leads the composer's monumental Requiem. BSO bass trombonist Douglas Yeo, a great admirer of Berlioz who has played trombone, serpent and ophicleide in Berlioz performances with the BSO and a number of period-instrument orchestras, has an extensive collection of Berlioz memorabilia, books, and facsimile scores. The display cases in the Massachusetts Avenue corridor of Symphony Hall include a selection of items from Mr. Yeo's collection, among them an original letter by Berlioz, commemorative medals struck for the Berlioz centennial in 1903, and photographs of the composer, as well as various facsimile scores that afford insight into Berlioz's compositional process. The exhibit runs from March 15 - May 6, 2006.

resources/amiens/amiens.html

In addition to the Museums's trombones, I brought along a few of my own instruments to show the evolution of the trombone through the ages including a bass sackbut by Frank Tomes, my BB flat Conn contrabass trombone made in 1903, my Conn "Preacher Model" tenor trombone in Bflat/C made in 1923 and my newly acquired Sautermeister buccin which I'm shown talking about in the photo at left.

Later this week I will continue my ongoing exploration of historical brasses when I play serpent in a performance of the Divertimento in B flat (St Antoni Chorale) which is attributed to Haydn. This will be in performance with Boston's Handel & Haydn Society at Symphony Hall, Boston, in a small chamber music group of players with historical instruments. While I recorded this piece on my CD "Le Monde du Serpent" this will be the first time I will have played it on original instruments including natural horns. Our performance will open the Handel & Haydn concerts this weekend which will follow with two works by Brahms: his "Variations on a Theme of Haydn" (which is based on the "St Antoni Chorale" of the Divertimento and his "Ein Deutsches Requiem." To move from early trombones to serpent in chamber music with a week of Boston Symphony Youth Concerts inbetween (all of which include the main title theme from "Star Wars") is to be a part of a very rich musical life!

From 1979-1981, I was director of bands at St. Thomas Aquinas (now Bishop George Ahr) High School in Edison, New Jersey. My job at STA was my first full time music position. After graduation from Wheaton College (Illinois) my wife and I moved to New York City where I was a freelance bass trombonist and also worked various office jobs while pursuing my master's degree at New York University. I applied for the STA position in the summer of 1979 and I began the job that fall.

St. Thomas Aquinas High School was staffed by Felician Sisters, an order that had its origin in Poland. You can imagine my thoughts when I was told, during my first week on the job, that our High School band had been selected to play for Pope John Paul II when he was to visit New York City in October, 1979. We were chosen as one of two bands from New Jersey to play for the Pope and being a school with Polish connections, the school was nearly turned upside down with the news. On a personal level this was exciting, but it was made even more so because my wife was, at that time, pregnant and imminently ready to give birth to our first child. In the weeks preceding the Pope's visit, I arranged music for our performance (which would be in Battery Park at the southern tip of Manhattan in New York City; we played a number of Polish folk songs and hymns in addition to some other music) but also found myself in the midst of a "human interest" news story about the timing of the visit and how it related to my wife's pregnancy.

October 3, 1979 dawned cloudy and rain fell during our trip into New York. As we all waited for the Pope to arrive, we played and played - in the rain - wearing ponchos and getting absolutely soaked. Yet when the Pope arrived, the rain stopped as if we were witnessing something that could only come out of a Hollywood epic film, the sun came out, and he smiled and waved at the students in our band who were standing in awe only 50 feet from him. It was a great moment as we were part of history: Pope John Paul II, along with President Ronald Reagan, is credited with being a significant force in the defeat of communism in the USSR and eastern Europe. He was an author, teacher and leader whose legacy will be felt for years to come. More than anything he was a servant of Christ and he did not shy away from preaching the Gospel with clarity and authority. His connection with our family will always be a strong one for many reasons, not the least of which is because the day after our band played for him, my wife gave birth to our first daughter who became a bit of a celebrity as a result of the timing of her coming into the world. At St. Thomas Aquinas High School, she was always known as "The Pope's Baby" and her baby book is full of clippings and articles that celebrated the birth of a daughter to the band director and his wife who nervously got through the events of October 3 as Divine Providence delayed a birth until the work was done. (Newspaper headlines about the story read, "Pope, Paternity Arrive for Aquinas Band Director" and "Delayed Birth Linked to Divine Providence" and the biggest understatement of all, "What a Week for the Yeos". ) My time at St. Thomas Aquinas was very influential on my musical and spiritual life and I will always look back ton that time with fondness. Father Michael Alliegro, Sister Mary Seraphica, John Kronemeyer and, of course, the students, all have been a part of my life over the last 25+ years. The patch shown here was something I had made for all of the students who played at Battery Park that day in 1979 - 55 were made and I took mine out of a drawer today and I share it with you in tribute to a great and Godly man who has left a changed world behind him. Requiem aeterna dona eis.

Since I was a young boy I have always wanted a buccin, the early 19th century French form of trombone with a zoomorphic head. I remember in the mid 1960's going to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and standing (and staring) in front of a display case with three buccins that just held me transfixed. When I recorded my CD Le Monde du Serpent, Berlioz Historical Brass commissioned a new piece from Clifford Bevan, "Le Mots de Berlioz" for choir with buccin, ophicleide, serpent and bassoon. It was the first time I had ever actually HEARD a buccin (played beautifully by Ben Peck who used a modern reproduction made by John Webb). I knew right then I simply had to get one to play myself.

Last summer I acquired a buccin bell from a dealer in Paris with the goal of having it restored and be played. The bell is by Sautermeister, a maker in Lyon (France) who was active from 1809-1830. Original buccin slides are usually in dreadful condition so I decided to have a new slide made after an historical model. The bell restoration was carried out by Jim Becker of Osmun Music (www.osmun.com) in Arlington, Massachusetts. The photo at right shows Jim Becker and me in the Osmun Music shop with the restored buccin. The bell needed considerable work to be put into good condition and Jim used a combination of his vast experience and some creative solutions to return the bell to playing order. He then made an entirely new hand slide after the buccin slide on an instrument (by Tabard) in Boston's Museum of Fine Arts. Jim put a tuning slide at the end of the slide so the instrument can be played at low pitch and Naoki Tada of the Yamaha Custom Shop (Hamamatsu, Japan) made a spectacular slide crook with two intertwined serpents. Today everything came together and the instrument was completed - I picked it up and have already had a great deal of pleasure playing it. It has a funky overtone series because of the oddly shaped bell (which is made of very thin brass), but the sound is mellow and sweet when played at soft dynamics and strong and firm (without being edgy) when played loudly.

The photo above (left) shows me playing my buccin while standing in front of a display case at Symphony Hall in Boston that includes several instruments from the Casadeasus Collection, a collection of early instruments owned by the Boston Symphony. Shown on the left is a form of upright serpent called a "basson Russe" that also has a zoomorphic head.

Once again, I offer encouragement to those who are interested in playing older instruments. Doing so gives an interesting perspective on our modern instruments and transports us back to an earlier time when the evolution of musical instruments was still very much active. Breathing new life into an instrument that has been silent for perhaps over 150 years is a rare feeling.

For instance, trombonists are well acquainted with the opening introduction of "Romeo," an extended recitative for the low brass. What most trombonists don't know (or don't consider) is that Berlioz includes the horns in that passage, but, because the horns are natural and not fully chromatic, the composer assigns one note of the passage to each horn in its corresponding key. The effect for the horns is a bit of musical "ping-pong" not unlike a handbell choir where each player is responsible for only a few notes of the melody. With this in mind, the balance was adjusted so the trombones and ophicleide did not dominate, rather the horns became an integral part of the texture. It is things like this that make music with these early instruments so interesting. While there certainly is dogmatism in the early music movement (a classic example of the oppressed becoming the oppressors), I have found working with early music players to be very stimulating - players bring in and talk about different instruments, makers, the ubiquitous issue of the tuning pitch, horn construction, performance practice and, above all, the music. It is refreshing and enjoyable to a high degree. My life in early music continues to grow and expand, from serpent to ophileide to buccin (the type of trombone developed in France in the late 18th century with a zoomorphic head). This weekend's performance of "Romeo" was yet another step along the way as I put myself back in time to consider the role of instruments, musicians and music upon a time long past. There are more adventures on the way, including a presentation at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts in April where I will discuss and demonstrate various types of trombones, and, also in April, a performance on serpent with Boston's Handel & Haydn Orchestra. June will bring me to the Great American Brass Band Festival where I will give a paper on serpent an dophicleide soloists and then perform a solo on ophicleide accompanied by a brass band. For those interested in these and other performances I have upcoming, visit my schedule page.

Shown to the left is my class from the 10th Hamamatsu (Japan) International Wind Instrument Academy and Festival. I had participated in the first three of these annual events in Hamamatsu, which is jointly sponsored by the City of Hamamatsu, the Okura ACT City Hotel and YAMAHA. As in past years, I had a class of seven students (six bass trombone, 1 tenor trombone) with whom I worked all week. This year's class was the best I'd ever had; the players ranged from students to professional players and the week was a most enjoyable one. Nozomi Kasano, a fourth year student in college in Nagoya, was selected by audition to represent the class at the student gala concert; she performed Bozza's "New Orleans." Our accompanist, Maki Asoh, was splendid and I could not have asked to be a part of a better organized and more enjoyable Academy.

Other faculty included Akira Kuwata (Principal trombone of the Yomouri Symphony Orchestra), Mark Gould and Robert Sullivan, trumpets, Tsutomu Maruyama, horn and Gene Pokorny, tuba (of the Chicago Symphony) - with these players we performed the Ingolf Dahl "Music for Brass Instruments" on the opening faculty concert.

Later in the week I gave a masterclass at the Dolce Music Shop in Osaka and also gave an interview to the Japanese wind instrument magazine, PIPERS where I discussed the role historical brasses have played in my musical life.

The Academy was a great event, but equally enjoyable was time I spent working with YAMAHA on several projects. YAMAHA trombone designer Yoshihiro Takahashi (shown at left) and I have been discussing improvements to the YBL-622 bass trombone I currently play. Mr. Takahashi had implemented several key changes in the horn which I tested and we worked on together while I was at the YAMAHA factory in Hamamatsu. The result will be the release of a new model that will be a significant upgrade from the 622, containing all of the excellent features of that instrument but with added enhancements about which I am very excited. This new model will be called the YBL-822G; no release date has been set at this time. I remain very impressed with YAMAHA's commitment to improve their instruments and have been very pleased to work with them on this new design.

While at the factory I also made a video on how trombones are made. YAMAHA has previously made videos on the making of trumpets and saxophones so I was pleased when they asked me to help with this project. It was fascinating to go through the factory and observe all of the processes of how trombones are put together and the video will be released later this year as part of a DVD including all three videos on the making of instruments.

My life with the serpent continues to be one of the most exciting parts of my ongoing musical explorations. I have recently been contracted to play the serpent with Boston's Handel and Haydn Society during their performances of the Divertimento in B flat ("St. Antoni Chorale") which is attributed to Haydn - these performances will take place in April 2005 and H&H will use my forthcoming edition of the Divertimento which is being published by Sarastro Music. This is the same Divertimento I recorded on my new CD, "Le Monde du Serpent." I will also be playing ophicleide in February 2004 when Boston's Chorus Pro Musica performs Hector Berlioz's "Romeo and Juliet" on period instruments. The adventure continues.

The North American Brass Band Association sponsors an annual championship contest for brass bands. Contesting has been part of the brass band movement for nearly 150 years and the NEBB has had the opportunity to go to three of the NABBA contests - 2001 in Washington, D.C.; 2003 in Little Rock, Arkansas; and 2004 in Charleston, West Virginia. Going to these contests has been a huge part of the growth of the NEBB. For us, the important thing about attending such an event is the interaction we all have with other bands and players as we learn more about our playing in the process. Also, we work hard to present our 30 minute contest program at the highest level we can, burnishing all of the details of our music to as fine a point as we can make. This crucible has proven to be a very enjoyable process for the band and today, the NEBB's hard work was rewarded with a banner and a trophy for FIRST PLACE in the "Challenge" section of the NABBA XXII Championship. What a thrill it was to have the band rewarded for their hard work in this way! I offer my congratulations once again to the fine members of the NEBB (including principal trombonist Brad Kerns who won 2nd place in the adult low brass technical solo competition, E flat bass player Mark Fabulich who won 2nd place in the adult low brass slow melody solo competition, and the NEBB percussion section - Dora Kastanas, Rick Castillo and Stephen Lee for placing 3rd in the adult percussion ensemble competition) for their success at NABBA as we look forward to our continued collaboration together. I am very proud of all of you!

Also, I have just gotten word that WGBH Radio WGBH Radio in Boston would like to record and broadcast the New England Brass Band concert that will take place at the Andover Free Christian Church (Andover, Massachusetts) on Saturday, December 20. This is an exciting thing for the band and we are delighted that WGBH will be at our concert to capture the unique sound of the New England Brass Band. Selections from the concert will be broadcast during the day on December 24. WGBH radio can also be heard live on the internet through the WGBH Radio website.