Please pardon the cross posting to both lists. Paul Mansur asked for a review of the recent Southeastern Horn Workshop held in Columbus, GA. I was there on both Friday and Saturday, so here are some observations. One man's opinion, of course.
First of all, finding the workshop location was very easy. Internet directions were clear, where to park was clear (right across the street in a parking garage,) and registration went smoothly. I had not pre-registered, but that presented no problem. Dr. Kristen Hansen did a fantastic job putting this workshop together, and helped me personally, via email, several times, always with a smile. There were an abundance of practice rooms and rest rooms available, too. Facilities were excellent, with the recital hall located right behind the registration table, and the smaller studio theater right in front of the registration table. The larger 2,000 seat concert hall was not used for this workshop, but had other activities going on in it at the same time as the workshop. Excellent soundproofing!!!! All other sessions and exhibits were held in the Music School, which is attached to the three auditorium River Center complex, and was just a thirty second walk away, at most. There were a couple of small glitches, time changes, etc., but these were smoothly handled. I was very impressed at how well organized this workshop was. One thing that bothered me was the lack of exhibits. As I've said recently, I'm in a period of equipment transition, and was hoping to try a lot of horns and mouthpieces at this workshop. Conn was there, as was Holton. Wichita Band was there but only brought four horns - two Paxman doubles and two Alexander doubles. Yamaha horns, as well as other brands such as Hoyer, Finke, King, etc., were not represented. There were not mutes, or used instruments for trial, either. I presume this is yet another indicator of our weakened economy. Five music dealers were at the workshop, and prices continue to rise. I recently purchased a solo for one of my students at a local music store for $1.95. The price at the workshop was $5.00. My advice, as it has been in the past, is to raid your local stores for any usable music you can find that may still available at the old, lower prices, and buy it. Terry Warburton, of Warburton Mouthpieces in Florida, had the only mouthpieces available for trial. Terry did a presentation, and then set up in the exhibit hall on Friday. After trying his stuff on Friday, and again on Saturday, I ordered both a rim and cup from him. His prices are not cheap, but the workmanship is fantastic. Warburton is best know for his trumpet mouthpieces, but give the horn mouthpieces a try. I hope the combination I chose will serve me well. Leather Specialties Company, of Smyrna, GA was there, and this is the first time I had seen there stuff. If you want a hand guard for a specific horn, a strap to help hold your horn, or mouthpiece pouches, this is the place to go, period!! Featured recital performers and master class artists were Peter Kurau (Eastman School of Music), Greg Hustis, and Jeff Argrell. For my tastes, these recitals, and the Regional Artists Recitals, too, had far too much contempory music on them. Many pieces seemed to be driven by both rhythm and technique. Few works had melodies that you could leave the hall singing. I don't mind contempory music, but can't someone out there write something modern with a melody? Works for John Williams. Argrell's recital was, to a large degree, improvised, in colabration with his pianist, Evan Mazunik. I left early, and drove the five hours required to get home. Enough is enough. The one notable exception, was a marvelous performance of the Glazounov "Reverie" by the principal horn of the Florida Orchestra. I don't have his name in front of me, but the audience was very appreciative of this very emotional work in the middle of a lot of other stuff that might be considered noise. Three of the piano accompanists should get gold metals for their work. Vincent Fuh, Yu Chien Chen, and Tomoko Kanamaru were simply fantastic. Ms. Kanamaru deserves special mention for stepping in at the last minute to replace another pianist who was unable to attend. She performed Morceau de Concert (Saint-Saens) and the above mentiond Reverie with more musicianship in her little finger than many pianists have in their whole body. Her smile would melt an iceberg. Simply wonderful. She was the pianist for Peter Kurau's recital, and they worked exceptionally well together. Two items at this workshop show that times are changing. First, almost all of the regional artists now have Doctorates, something unheard of twenty years ago. Second, all of the college horn ensembles came from Universities, not Colleges. I do not have a doctorate, and I spent fourteen years teaching at a college. I feel it gives many people the impression that those of us who chose other career paths are not as "worthy" as those who had other opportunities. (Editorial comment.) Special mention must be made of the horn choir directed by Jack Masarie from the University of North Carolina - Greensboro. The group was very well discliplined and were easily the best ensemble there. On the recitals there were two works that were accompanied by synthesizer tracks. These provided a welcome change from the traditional solo horn or horn and piano combination. Two works were also accompanied by the Columbus State university Wind Ensemble - the Mozart Concerto in Eb, K. 417, and Schumann's Konzertstuck, which featured hornists Peter Kuru (4th), Gregory Hustis (1st), Jeff Agrell (3rd), and workshop host Kristen Hansen (2nd). The performance and the arrangements were excellent, but one wonders how many times these arrangements will ever get played. They require the use of an Eb soprano clarinet, an English Horn, and a Contra Bassoon, as well as a String Bass. Most wind ensembles or wind symphonies (read that as bands) simply do not have these instruments avaiable. That's it. (and I've left out a lot) Wilbert in SC _______________________________________________ post: [EMAIL PROTECTED] set your options at http://music.memphis.edu/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
