FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuscaloosa, AL – The University of Alabama College of Arts & Sciences School of Music presents a faculty recital featuring trombonist Jonathan Whitaker on Tuesday, February 23, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. in the Concert Hall of the Moody Music Building on the campus of The University of Alabama. The program will include “Fantasy, Op. 42” by Paul Creston, “Lieder aus Des Knaben Wunderhorn” by Gustav Mahler, “Nature’s Gift” by Anthony Barfield, and “Atlantic Zephyrs” by Gardell Simons. “Nature’s Gift” is a piece composed by UA alum Anthony Barfield. This will be its world premiere, and it is dedicated to the birth of Whitaker’s daughter, Ainsley. The concert is FREE and open to the public. For more information visit: www.music.ua.edu/calendar or call 348-7111.
Dr. Jonathan Whitaker joined the faculty of The University of Alabama in the fall of 2009. He previously taught at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas as Assistant Professor of Trombone and Low Brass.
Whitaker is an active performer as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician. He is a founding member of the Stentorian Consort along with three other prominent professional trombone players. Stentorian Consort released their first CD “Myths and Legends” in August of 2007 on Albany Records. “Myths and Legends” contains all premiere recordings of original compositions for trombone quartet by composers Eric Ewazen, Fisher Tull, Charles Wourinen, Leslie Bassett, John LaMontaine and others. The consort recently performed and recorded with Joseph Alessi, Principal Trombonist of the New York Philharmonic and Peter Ellefson, Professor of Trombone at Indiana University and Northwestern University and will release our second recording in 2010. Whitaker can also be heard on Dee Stewart’s CD entitled D+ (Dee Plus) performing with the Indiana University Trombone Faculty. Whitaker performs regularly with the Alabama, Harrisburg (PA), Mobile (AL) and Meridian (MS) Symphonies and has also held positions and performed with the Arkansas, Pine Bluff (AR), Shreveport (LA), South Arkansas Symphony, Duluth-Superior Symphony (MN), Owensboro Symphony (KY), Evansville Philharmonic (IN), Richmond Symphony (IN), Jackson Symphony (TN) and the Paducah Symphony (KY). He has appeared as a soloist with all of the wind groups at Indiana University, the Augustana College Symphonic Band, the Purdue University Symphony Orchestra, and the Henderson State University Wind Ensemble and will be performing a new trombone concerto by John Mackey with The University of Alabama Wind Ensemble in the fall of 2010. He also performed the American premier of Johan de Meij’s T-Bone Concerto with the Murray State University Symphonic Wind Ensemble.
In addition, Whitaker serves on the faculty of the Alessi Seminar. In 2005, he was selected as one of 16 participants for the Seminar and was a featured soloist twice that year. Since 2005, Whitaker has served as the chief administrator for the Seminar. Whitaker was also the key organizer of the commissioning project for Eric Ewazen’s Visions of Light with the world premier performed at the 2003 Midwest Clinic by the New York Philharmonic’s Principal Trombonist Joseph Alessi and the IU Wind Ensemble.
In 2009-10, Whitaker has been invited for perform and teach at the 2010 Eastern Trombone Workshop in Washington, DC and the International Trombone Festival in Austin, TX. The University of Alabama Trombone Choir will also be giving a feature performance at the Eastern Trombone Workshop in May.
Whitaker holds degrees in trombone performance from Murray State University and the University of Minnesota and the Doctor of Music degree in Brass Pedagogy at Indiana University where he served as Associate Instructor of Trombone from 2001-2004. Whitaker’s primary teachers include Ray Conklin, Tom Ashworth, M. Dee Stewart, Peter Ellefson and Joseph Alessi with additional studies with Arnold Jacobs, Edward Kleinhammer, Michael Mulcahy, Charlie Vernon and Douglas Wright.
Jonathan Whitaker is an artist/clinician for Conn-Selmer, Inc. and plays Greg Black Mouthpieces exclusively.