IWBC Founder Susan Slaughter

International Women's Brass Conference is a conference that is held every other year throughout the country, and their mission is to educate, develop, support, and inspire all women brass musicians. During this conference, there are masterclasses, competitions, mock auditions, and performances for the guest to attend. The best part is this conference is not open to just female brass players, but anyone can attend.

This conference was started by a woman named Susan Slaughter, a trumpet player known to be the first female Principal trumpet in a major orchestra. Susan played in the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra for 37 years. I thought this video provided is a cool way to listen to her story and she discusses the life of freelancing and being a professional.

Listening Playlist

Here is the link to my playlist for class! It will cover Brass bands, trumpet ensembles, and brass quintets.

Hope you enjoy!

Here is the notes on the pieces:

1. Riverdance (arr. For brass band) Ray Farr, Bill Whelan, Garry Cutt

Playing: Grimethrope Colliery Band

• Formed in 1917, during the First World War, Grimethorpe Colliery Band is a British institution. National and British Open Champions on numerous occasions, the band’s contest successes remain legendary. These include 16 Brass In Concert Championship titles, 11 times Yorkshire Regional Champions, two English National Championship victories, four times British Open Champions and four times National Champion Brass Band of Great Britain.

     2. White Rose Caleb Hudson

Playing: Canadian Brass

• In 1942, five University of Munich students and one professor, Hans Scholl, formed a clandestine, non-violent Nazi resistance movement known as the “White Rose.” 
• In 2014, filmmaker Peter Logue created a short documentary about the “White Rose” movement titled The Search for the White Rose. Caleb wrote the original soundtrack for this film.

      3. Quintet Michael Kamen

Playing: Canadian Brass

• This commissioned piece was completed by Michael Kamen for the Canadian Brass just prior to his passing. It is a fitting tribute to Michael's special relationship with the group and the brass quintet form. "Quintet" is featured on the Canadian Brass CD 'Amazing Brass'

     4. Crazy in Love/ Gonna Make You Sweat Fättes Blech

Playing: Crazy Kids

•  No bio

     5. Cityscapes Erik Morales

• I. Rush Hour
• II. Skyscrapers
• III. Rhythm of the City

Playing: Tromba Mundi

• 21st Century (2005). "Cityscapes" is a three movement work for five Bb trumpets. Each movement gives a caricature of city life "under the microscope". The first part entitled "Rush Hour" is a light and somewhat comical movement that depicts the morning commute into the city. The second part, entitled "Skyscrapers", attempts to portray the grandeur and magnificence of the city's skyline. The third and final part, entitled "Rhythm of the City", is a musical essay that describes how a city is always teeming with action and is never at rest. This final movement features an unusual percussive effect of tapping the mouthpiece to create active layered rhythmic patterns. Rushing interlocking 16th notes at blinding speeds and sudden pyramidal effects create a thrilling ride that will leave you breathless.
• The Tromba Mundi Trumpet Ensemble was established in 2008 with the idea of promoting chamber music solely for trumpet. his prolific group, made-up of professionals and professors from across the United States, has already made a substantial impact in the trumpet world. The players themselves have toured the world as soloists and clinicians, made many diverse recordings, and performed with some of the nations leading orchestras, jazz ensembles and artists. From the Chicago Symphony to the Maynard Ferguson Big Band and other ensembles spanning across the globe, Tromba Mundi features some of the finest trumpeters in the nation. The energy and synergy among these performers makes for exciting performances to both see and hear.

     6. Music for Brass John Towner-Williams

Playing Presidents Own Brass Section

• John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932) is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. With a career spanning over six decades, he has composed some of the most popular and recognizable film scores in cinematic history, including the Star Wars series, Jaws

      7. Quintet for Brass Jay Greenburg

Playing: American Brass Quintet

• Jay "Bluejay" Greenberg is an American composer and former child prodigy who entered the Juilliard School in 2002 at age 10.
• The Quintet for Brass was completed on 29 February 2012 for the American Brass Quintet with support from the Jerome Fund commission. It is approximately 14 minutes in duration. The American Brass Quintet gave the premiere performance at the Aspen Music Festival on 18 July 2012. 
• Much performer/composer interaction led the work to its ultimate form. As so often happens when I attempt to "revise" a piece, the final version ended up being an entirely new piece unrelated to its earlier drafts. The members of the American Brass Quintet provided invaluable feedback and technical assistance, for which I am quite grateful. 
• Time is inconstant during the Quintet. One, two, or — at times — all five players step away from the underlying pulse: in time and out of time through several episodes. 

      8. Wolf Burger Hot 8 Brass Band

• The Hot 8 Brass Band is a New Orleans based brass band that blends hip-hop, jazz and funk styles with traditional New Orleans brass sounds. It was formed by Bennie Pete, Jerome Jones, and Harry Cook in 1995,[1] the merging of two earlier bands, the Looney Tunes Brass Band and the High Steppers Brass Band

Marie Speziale leading the way

For my first blog I want to start off with talking about a woman who is very inspirational to me, Marie Speziale.

Marie Speziale is one of the first woman trumpeters to be in a major symphony orchestra. Her bio includes everything I want to be when I grow up. She has played professionally in multiple orchestras, including thirty two years in the Cinciannati Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Speziale has also spent time as a college professor over the years at multiple universities. She taught at my alma mater, Indiana University, but also spent a good amount of her career at Rice. Now that she is retired she still teaches in the Cincinnati area, but come winter time she travels to Flordia becuase she is not a fan of the cold...

You're probably wondering how I know this, well I was given the the oppurtunity to have a couple lessons with her when I was still living in the area and winter came early that year, so she informed me that she was leaving for Florida and would not be back till it was warm... I was quite bummed because the lessons never ended up happening.

Anyways she is a phenomal woman and musician. I could not think of anyone better to start off my blogging career.