Winter 2007
Hi everyone!! November 18, 2007
Hope you’re having a wonderful Thanksgiving! Why yes, thank you very much…Canada and I did have a wonderful Thanksgiving last month. …and ok, if you insist, I think I will eat myself to sleep again this month for the American Thanksgiving! Yay for giving thanks…by eeeeaaaating! Mmmmmm…..!!
Well things are still flying by around here. I’m in Düsseldorf, Germany right now, on a Canadian Brass tour. Where did we leave off…?
I think we were about to start the IU Fall 2007 semester! We began with a “Studio Nelsen” meet and greet. We just spoke about ourselves, and what we love about the horn, and also what we love that is not horn related! This is very important, as this is what we bring to our music making…personality… as an artist is made up of the comedy, tragedy, and lessons learned in a person’s life.
Here’s a picture of our studio, taken August 28, 2007…three months prior to their present state of their depth of comedy, tragedy, and learning!
Back Row: Lizzy Garza, Everett Burns, Michael Lombardi, me, Ryan O’Connell, Jacob Medlin, Kelsey Westvelt, Julia Filson. Middle Row: Darcie Kozlowski, Zach Glavan, Jenny Smoak, Aaron Kibbler. Front Row: Tim Huizenga, Lauren Hughes, Liz Deitemyer, Jessie Thoman, Jessica Richers, and Kurtis Henderson. MIA are Aaron Laws (in the back back row I think) and Jared Disbro (in Europe).
Look at those faces! They don’t know what’s gonna happen next!! ?
They’re so excited….or spazzing out on hot chocolate AGAIN!! Jennnnyyyyy!!!
Mid-September had Canadian Brass go to Mexico for a few concerts.
Holy Hall, eh!!! The Palacio de Bellas Artes. It was beautiful to look at and listen at too! It sounded goooooood!
22 tons of Tiffany glass made up that backdrop behind us!!
Canadian Brass (minus me) flew home to Toronto. They also performed with the Hamilton Philharmonic that weekend. I had already committed to another appearance, so I couldn’t do the gig. I was sad about it because my distant cousin, Jamie Sommerville (principal horn – Boston Symphony) was doing his first concert as the new Music Director of the Hamilton Philharmonic! Fortunately, Toronto Symphony’s new principal horn, Neil Deland, was available to step into CB and do the concert! Word has it he did an amazing job! Bravo Neil!!
I was sad to miss that collaboration, but I was very happy to go do a 2-day “Fearless Horning and Performing” seminar at the New Mexico State University.
Nancy Joy and I played Maynard Ferguson’s “Chameleon” with the NMSU’s Pride Marching Band!! Nancy informed me there were 34,000 people at the New Mexico State University and University of Texas at El Paso game. They call it the “Battle of I-10″
Her horn class opened the recital with a fanfare. I played several pieces with piano, and a few duets with Nancy, and then we closed with another ensemble piece.
NMSU Horn Studio 2007/08
Nancy won “Arts and Sciences Outstanding Faculty Member for 2007” in New Mexico and used her award to create a horn weekend in New Mexico. She called it, “The Enchanted Horn Weekend” and it was very magical! Yes, there might have even been some magic going on during the “Fearless Performing” segments of the weekend…
Canadian Brass performed a concert with Elmer Iseler Singers and organist Peter Tiefenbach in Toronto. We performed a bunch of tunes from our “People of Faith” CD that was recorded a few years ago with that choir.
Here’s an artsy picture of our entrance…taken by my mom!
Continuing to fly in and out of Bloomington…and missing my studio every tiiiiiime I was away from them….wahhhhh…we next found ourselves in Rochester, NY.
Here’s our first morning’s meeting about our week’s concert and CD recording project.
I write more about all of this in “Backstage Brass.”
Next show was with the Bartlesville Symphony.
‘Twas their music director, Lauren Green’s 30th anniversary as music director, and the orchestra’s 50th anniversary!
We have some pretty hi-tech excellence training systems at Indiana University.
Here are hornists Tim Huizenga and Eric Woodhams doing some fearless Wii training. They played the crrrrrap out of Wagner’s Short Call immediately following this bout!
Another way to free ourselves from what we think the audience is judging of us is to make the audience all into 5 year olds! Hornist Deanna Carpenter has her very own objective audience member that she takes with her everywhere she performs.
Well, ok…maybe she JUST got “Percy” the night before. He sure loves the horn though!!
…lucky for both of them, eh?! Adoooooorable little guy, eh?!!
I also got to spend some time with my wife, Nina!!!
For those of you who know about my personal life (and I guess more for those who don’t…) my wife Nina Yoshida Nelsen is a beautiful mezzo soprano who is doing a residency at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia.
They’re performing Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte right now, and Nina is doing the role of Dorabella.
I’ll write more after this crazy touring and teaching time slows down…
All the best,
Jeff
