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Summer Trombone Workshop 2006 / by Scott Ruedger
For
ten days in July, the beautiful 117-year-old Romanesque Building housing
the Crouse College of Fine Arts and the Setnor School of Music on the Syracuse
University campus played host to a unique event. Sixteen Trombonists along with eight auditors gathered for an
intense 10-day experience in elevating the art of trombone performance. The sound of trombones in the warm air
permeating the relative summer calm of the Syracuse University campus
signaled that the Summer Trombone Workshop ‘06, led by Haim Avitsur, was
underway.
Haim
Avitsur, professor of music at the University of Virginia and Queens
College, as well as an active soloist, is the Seminar’s Artistic
Director. The esteemed faculty also
included: Nitzan Haroz, principal trombone of the Philadelphia Orchestra;
David Taylor, well known first-call New York City freelance bass
trombonist. Collectively they are
known as Trio Hidas. This year they
were joined by Bill Harris, principal trombone of the Syracuse Symphony.
The
workshop participants were chosen by tape or live audition. Enrollment was limited to sixteen to
insure maximum time with faculty members and a low student-to-faculty ratio. Haim
stresses that the participants are actually true participants. Participants
were allowed to take an active part in all events and ensembles, and
encouraged to ask questions.
Participants were treated as professionals in a collaborative
effort, not mere students assigned tasks.
Participants were assigned to perform in four thirty-minute master
classes, once for each of the four faculty members. In addition, participants received
one-hour private lessons with Haim Avitsur, Nitzan Haroz and Dave Taylor. Participants were also assigned to one
of four trombone quartets, which were coached by Mr. Avitsur. Participants also performed in the large
participant’s trombone ensemble.
The quartets and large trombone ensemble were assigned compositions
to be performed on the workshop’s final evening concert. The faculty members were quick to
comment on the extremely high performance level of this year’s
participants. In essence,
participants had unlimited access to the faculty, both on and off stage,
creating an incredibly intimate atmosphere.
In
addition to the participants, eight auditors attended the workshop. Auditors were welcome to attend all
master classes and recitals, and were invited to perform Bruckner’s Ave Maria on the final concert in
the auditor’s trombone ensemble.
Auditors also joined the participants in a combined trombone choir
for Gabrieli’s Canzona XIII on
the final evening’s concert finale.
Participants
and auditors spanned a wide range of abilities and performance levels. High school students, undergraduate and
graduate students and professional trombonists were represented. Participants came from throughout the US
and from as far away as Taiwan. Although
a wide range of abilities existed among the players, the atmosphere was geared
to improving each player’s musical level and the camaraderie of working
together toward a unified goal allowed quick friendships to develop.
 The schedule was extremely intensive, beginning
with trombone ensemble rehearsal at 8am each day. “Sergeant” Haim Avitsur, who also performed in the choir,
coached the trombone ensembles.
Haim stressed ensemble development of the members by having the
groups perform without a conductor.
Musicians typically perform with conductors to lead them, but Haim
wanted to develop the player’s ears and listening skills in the
ensemble. This was an especially
daunting task in one of the selected pieces, Events by Verne Reynolds.
This work relies heavily on listening to the various solo
interjections, and knowing not only your part, but also each of the other
parts. I have to admit, I had my
doubts that the choir would be able to perform Events, but I was quite surprised on the final night after a
stunning performance. The choir
also performed J. S. Bach’s “Little”
Fugue in g minor. The interplay between each part and the
constant running sixteenth notes presented a challenge at first, but once
participants begin to listen to the other parts, the work started to come
together. The sound created by
sixteen trombonists performing a Bach fugue surely rivaled that of the huge
1950’s Holtkamp Organ behind the performers in Crouse College’s Setnor
Auditorium during the workshop’s final concert.
The
majority of the schedule included daily master classes from 10am – 12pm and
1pm – 3pm by the faculty members.
Trombone quartet coachings were from 3 – 4:30pm. Private lessons were also scheduled
throughout the day. The evenings
included solo recitals by Haim, Nitzan Haroz, and Dave Taylor, and a
concert by Trio Hidas, the faculty ensemble in residence.  In addition, Katherine Miranda presented an
evening seminar on the Alexander Technique about breathing and
posture. Bill Harris presented an
emotional lecture about the renowned Eastman trombone professor, Emory Remington. The busy schedule offered little time
for individual practice, so participants and auditors came in early and
stayed late to work on the finer details of what they learned in each
master class. Each of the quartets also
needed time to rehearse, so participants worked around their already busy
schedule to find time to rehearse the quartet repertoire prior to Haim’s
coachings.
Master
classes by each of the faculty members allowed the participants an
opportunity to perform in front of their colleagues and for the faculty
member to offer critical comments.
Each of the four faculty members has reached the highest levels of
trombone performance in their individual areas, so it was very revealing to
hear the similarities and differences between such premiere artists. Their overall goals are all similar, but
each has their own unique way of encouraging the participants to reach a
higher level of performance.
Several underlying themes were similar to each of the faculty
member’s master classes. Among the
many topics addressed was the importance of the musical line, relaxation,
efficient breath control, and attention to the smallest detail in the
performance.
One
participant was playing the second trombone part of the “Hungarian March” from Berlioz’s Damnation of Faust for Nitzan. After working for most of the master
class, Nitzan said students could work for an entire week on this excerpt,
and still see no improvement. This
attention to detail can get frustrating, so Nitzan suggested mixing
excerpts with repertoire that one likes to play.  Dave Taylor related practicing to reading a book
in his master class. When reading a
book, sometimes you might forget what you just read on the previous
page. If so, go back and
re-read. The same applies to
practicing; go back and review what you are practicing. Dave also related that we need to
concentrate on the minutest detail in our practicing. He related the story about the size of the
“Planck Length.” As Dave explained,
this length is so small, it appears as 1/1,000,000 of an individual pixel
from a computer screen seen from 10 blocks away. This represents the detail in which we should be critical of
our performances. The minutest
detail shows up in our playing, no detail is too small to overlook.
Bill
Harris coached a participant playing one of the Bach ‘Cello Suites. He
noticed that there was an excess amount of body movement in the
performance. Bill thinks that
excess motion can create tension that is detrimental in trombone playing. Excess motion can be distracting and
deter from the musical effect by causing tension. His goal is to get maximum results with minimal effort. Dave is not against motion, but it does
concern him when the player uses motion to delineate beats in the
music. Nitzan noticed excess
tension in another participant, and said that tension is the enemy of brass
players. While some tension is used
in playing trombone, we should try to minimize the excess tension. Nitzan suggested we should try to relax
while playing. Dave also touched on
this point in his master class while watching a participant holding their
slide like a claw. This excess grip
on the slide can create wasted energy that one will need in their
performance.
Each
of the faculty members stressed the importance to the musical line in
performance and practice. Haim
listened to a participant performing the Sulek Sonata and taking awkward breaths. Haim advised that where the breath occurs is not important;
it is what the breath does to everything around it that should be of
concern. If the breath doesn’t
detract from the musical line, it should be fine. In Dave’s master class, he said that if the breaths are going
to break the musical line; we just have to be less obvious and figure out
places that are best for us. Dave
suggested listening to other artists performing the Bach ‘Cello Suites so we can get ideas of
several ideas for musical lines. He
wanted the participants to get away from an “academic” performance, and go
outside the box. Nitzan commented while listening to a participant’s
performance of the Martin Ballade,
that phrases are the most important thing.
We should record ourselves and figure out where the phrases are
supposed to lead.
Another
similarity among the faculty concerned the stage appearance of the
performer. Dave Taylor said the
performer is in contact with the audience, and drama is part of the
performance. Nitzan watched a
participant frown after he finished a particular passage. He commented that if the audience sees
you frown, or shake your head in anger, they will begin to feel
uncomfortable for you. Most
audiences will probably not be aware of the mistakes our hypercritical ears
hear in our own playing. Nitzan
added that the performance might actually improve if we seem to enjoy
it. Dave noted that if we maintain
the phrase or thought, we will be forgiven for mistakes. Listening to some participants, Dave
would ask them to raise their horn or lower the stand so the audience can
see the performer and more easily connect with the music.
Each
of the faculty members were readily available to answer questions, and
contributed to a positive learning experience and cooperative
environment. A special round-table
discussion was held in which participants and auditors could ask the
faculty questions on  any topic of concern. Questions asked included: what is on your I-Pod (or what
music do you listen to); what teaching theories each of the faculty has;
and, how do they balance the life of a professional career as a musician
with their family (to which each faculty member quickly replied that family
was first!). One topic of major
concern to the participants still in school is what to do when they graduate. Nitzan echoed the sentiment of the faculty
by encouraging participants to try and stop worrying about the future. He said: “Music is a passion, and
definitely not an easy one, but if performing is what you want to do, you
will find a way to do it”.
In
addition to the daily master classes and rehearsals, the evenings allowed
the faculty to present solo recitals.
Each performer brilliantly displayed an exceptional level of
artistry in their recitals. Notable
high points from Haim’s recital included a gorgeous performance of the Bach
Cello Suite No. 2 and the world
premiere of Matthew Burtner’s AES/AER
for trombone and computer sound.
Dave Taylor’s recital was the purest expression of drama and musical
art at the highest level. It is
notable that the majority of compositions of Dave Taylor’s recital were
either written for him or collaborations with the composer. Especially exciting was the microtonal
composition Zelig Mood Ring, by
Johnny Reinhard, composed for Mr. Taylor.
As he left the stage demanding “the wolf is at the door,” we were
witnessing true dramatic art. He
returned to thunderous applause from the lucky concertgoers and performed a
lovely ballad as an encore.
Nitzan’s recital was an equal to the previous nights, as he opened
with The Song on the Land by
Ronny Yedidia. Nitzan, aware of the
current struggles in Israel, dedicated this work to peace. A brilliant, clear performance of
Grondahl’s Concerto left the
audience wanting more of Nitzan’s incredible talent, and he did not
disappoint. After intermission, he
closed with Defaye’s Deux Dances,
replete with a lyrical quality and musicality that emphasized the comments
made in his master classes.
The
high point of the evening concerts was the performance of Trio Hidas. This ensemble, made up of Nitzan, Haim,
and Dave, had very little time to rehearse during the workshop with the
already busy schedules. The
drastically different styles of each player’s solo recitals were not
apparent as the group eased through their demanding program which ranged
from baroque to contemporary works.
The program included a composition from the group’s namesake,
Hungarian composer Frigyes Hidas’ 8
Miniatures for three trombones, recently premiered at the trio’s
performance for the Eastern Trombone Workshop. An especially exciting moment was the attendance of composer
David Fetter, himself a trombonist and faculty member at the Peabody School
of Music, to hear his Trombone Opera
performed by the trio.
Special
mention should be made to pianist Kyle Adams, staff accompanist for the
Summer Trombone Workshop ‘06.
Kyle’s artistry was evident in his accompaniment for all faculty
solo recitals and for participants in the master classes, noted was the
ease of his ability to follow the soloists in the difficult Hindemith Sonata and the Casterede Sonatine. Kyle has just been offered a position at the Indiana
University School of Music; he will be an incredible asset to their
program.
The
ten-day workshop’s final concert included performances of the auditor’s
trombone choir, the participant’s trombone choir, each of the quartets, and
a combined trombone choir which included all the participants and
auditors. The increased level of
performance which each participant and auditor gained through the many
hours of master classes and listening to faculty recitals was readily
apparent; the appreciative audience responded with much appreciation and
applause. The participants and
auditors directed their applause to Haim for his countless hours of
sacrifice and devotion to the workshop’s success.
After the concert, Bill Harris invited the
participants and auditors to a local establishment for food and soft
drinks. The newfound friendships
and camaraderie of fellow trombonists was evident as the culmination of ten
days of improving trombone performance and musicianship among the
participants and auditors was coming to a close. The next day, the trombonists departed for their schools and
jobs as much better performers and musicians.
Next
year’s Summer Trombone Workshop ’07 promises to be even better than this
years event. Haim has created a
wonderful learning environment for trombonists of all abilities, and all of
those in attendance are looking forward to next year’s workshop. I highly encourage all trombonists
interested in becoming better musicians and performers to attend the Summer
Trombone Workshop 07!!
Trombonist Scott Ruedger is a Staff Sergeant in the US
Air Force Band of the Golden West at Travis Air Force Base in
California. He holds degrees from
the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and East Carolina
University. His primary teachers
include Tony Chipurn, Don Knaub, and George Broussard.
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