The Lone Star State Trumpet Guild Performance
The splendid sounds of the trumpet filled the sanctuary of the First Presbyterian Church of San Angelo on Sunday, February 25 as the Lone Star State Trumpet Guild presented “Music for Trumpets Across the Centuries.”
Members of the LSSTG chapter are located across the state of Texas and eastern New Mexico, and include Dr. David Amlung (Abilene, TX), Eric Baker (Midland, TX), Dr. John Irish (San Angelo, TX), Dr. John Kennedy (Lubbock, TX), Jay Lester (Abilene, TX), Andy Patterson (Arlington, TX), Dr. Bernie Scherr (Abilene, TX), and Dr. Sidney Shuler (Portales, NM). The ensemble performed new works for trumpet along with standard trumpet ensemble repertoire. Student ensembles from Abilene Christian University, McMurry University, Angelo State University, and Eastern New Mexico University also performed. The program opened with the bold “Fanfare for Six Trumpets” by composer and LSSTG member, Dr. Bernie Scherr. This was followed by a sonorous performance of Canzona Primi Toni by Giovanni Gabrieli (arr. D. Marlatt). Next up was a beautiful arrangement by Jim Olcott of Jimmy Van Heusen’s “Here’s That Rainy Day” which featured a solo by Eric Baker.
Student groups performed works they were preparing for the upcoming 2024 International Trumpet Guild Conference. Of special note was the impressive performance of “Seven for Five” composed by Erik Morales and performed by the Angelo State University trumpet ensemble. Students from Abilene Christian University partnered with McMurry University trumpet players to perform works across a wide spectrum of styles. Their first performance was “Nocturne” by composer Dr. Bernie Scherr, and they ended with a hauntingly beautiful performance of “Gammal fabodpsalm von Dalarna” by Oscar Lindberg featuring Dr. Sidney Shuler on flugelhorn solo. The Eastern New Mexico University trumpet quintet gave an exhilarating performance of “Soar” by Joshua Hobbs.
Members of the LSSTG broke into small groups to perform Dos Tiempos by Beatriz Cordona, and “Good Morning” by Dr. Bernie Scherr. Another remarkable performance came from Dr. David Amlung who performed “Fanfare for the Uncommon Trumpeter” for unaccompanied trumpet by Dr. Bernie Scherr. Amlung played with energy, brilliance, precision, and flair.
All eight members of the LSSTG performed an arrangement by D. Kozmyna of “Struttin’ with some Barbecue.” The performance featured Eric Baker and Dr. John Irish as they performed a harmonized version of Louis Armstrong’s original solo. The arrangement ends with a fiery Samba setting of the melody and a rousing finish.
The afternoon ended with all 34 players on stage to perform Dr. John Irish’s arrangement of the Overture Solennelle by Piotr Tchaikovsky. The only things missing were the cannons! (Source: Eric Baker)