Luther College Brass Symposium

Luther College hosted its fourth annual Brass Symposium March 10-11, 2023. Featured this year were three young brass professionals: Dr. Anne McNamara (trumpet, Illinois State University), Dr. Katy Ambrose (horn, University of Iowa), and Dr. Stephanie Ycaza (tuba, University of Northern Iowa).

Anne McNamara works with a Symposium participant

Du Huang (piano),  Michael Smith (trombone), and John Cord (trumpet)

These guest artists performed a beautiful recital featuring a variety of standards and new music. Each artist gave instrumental masterclasses in their respective area, working with both high school and collegiate soloists and brass ensembles. In addition, each individual artist presented scholarly topics including Using the Centering Process to Cope with Performance Anxiety (McNamara), A Dissonant History: Horn in the Lives of Musicians of African Descent from Early America to the 21st Century (Ambrose), and Incorporating Mindfulness into Practice and Performance (Ycaza). The Symposium concluded with a Finale Concert that featured these artists, Luther College brass faculty members Dr. John T. Cord (trumpet) and Dr. Michael Smith (low brass), Luther College brass students, and midwest area high school students and music educators.

Anne McNamara presents Using the Centering Process to Cope with Performance Anxiety

John Cord conducts the Luther trumpet ensemble

(Source: John T. Cord)