FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TUSCALOOSA, AL – The University of Alabama College of Arts and Sciences School of Music presents the Stentorian Consort Trombone Quartet on Monday, September 13, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. in the Concert Hall of the Moody Music Building on the campus of The University of Alabama. The ensemble is one of the nation’s premiere trombone quartets and includes UA Assistant Professor of Trombone Jonathan Whitaker, Brent Phillips, David Begnoche and Barney McCollum. The group will perform selections from Fisher Tull, Joey Sellers, Simon Wills, Conradin Kreutzer, Franz Schubert, Michael Divers, Carl Carl Zöllner, and Morgens Andresen. They will also perform two world premieres: “Canto di Lutto, Danza della Vita” composed by Eric Ewazen and “Trombone Toccata” by Phil Snedecor. This event is FREE and open to the public. For more information visit http://music.ua.edu/calendar-of-events/ or call 205-348-7111.
Stentorian Consort, has been praised for energetic performances and innovative programming. With acquaintances springing from auditions, orchestra jobs and an Alessi Seminar, the group formed in 2003 through a chain of phone calls between colleagues Jonathan Whitaker, Brent Phillips, David Begnoche and Barney McCollum; working together for the first time over a Christmas gig, reading carols for a lunch-time gathering at the federal building in Fort Worth, the group quickly charted a course to accomplish several projects, including this disc. Today, these gentlemen share a deep mutual respect for one another and continue to work together on a frequent basis in spite of their hectic personal schedules.
Stentorian Consort has participated in a call for scores with the Society of Composers International and has performed by invitation at the 2006 Big XII Trombone Conference at Texas Tech, University of Oklahoma, Baylor University, Henderson State University and Southeastern Oklahoma State University. The Consort, in its brief time together, has maintained an active performance schedule while continuing to prioritize an ambitious recording agenda.
The choice of the term Consort, denoting a group of like instruments as in a quartet, reflects the ensemble’s flexible use of its resources in recital programming. Stentorian, meaning powerful in sound and tone, sonorous, and making a strong statement, speaks to the group’s mission regarding arts advocacy as well as its musical goals. Stentorian Consort, then, aims at making a resounding statement through performance, recording, and commissions.
David Begnoche is Assistant Professor of Trombone in the TCU School of Music. Previously on the faculty at the Longy School of Music, Mr. Begnoche has also served as artist-in-residence at Northeastern University and chamber music coach at Harvard University.
Mr. Begnoche maintains an active performing career with groups throughout the U.S. and abroad. His extensive professional performing experience includes titled positions with the Joffrey Ballet Orchestra (Chicago), Sarasota Opera (FL), Albany Symphony (NY), Spoleto Festival Orchestra (Italy), Charleston Symphony Orchestra (SC) and AIMS Festival Orchestra (Austria). He has performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and has recorded with the Boston Pops under John Williams. His commercial credits include performances in a variety of styles and venues, including appearances with Chet Atkins, Bill Watrous and Barry White.
A recipient of the Priddy Fellowship in Arts Leadership, Mr. Begnoche is a frequent and eager performer of new music and a strong advocate for American music in particular. He can be heard on première recordings of works by John Harbison, Gian Carlo Menotti, Steven Stucky, Virgil Thomson, and Charles Wuorinen, to name a few. Contemporary music ensembles Mr. Begnoche has performed with include Essential Music (NY), Fulcrum Point (Chicago), and, as soloist, with the Tanglewood Festival of Contemporary Music. Reflective of his advocacy of new music, Mr. Begnoche has been active in the commissioning of solo and chamber works. His work with Pulitzer Prize winner John La Montaine resulted in the final version of the composers Trombone Quartet (2006).
The Mystic (CT) native has served as International Trombone Association Affiliates Manager and AIM Membership Coordinator for two years, and serves on the ITA Competitions Committee. He has written articles and conducted interviews for the ITA Journal, the Brass Herald, and the American Composers Forum. In addition to doctoral studies (University of North Texas), Mr. Begnoche holds degrees from Manhattan School of Music (MM) and the New England Conservatory of Music (BM). His principal teachers include Douglas Yeo (Boston Symphony Orchestra), John Swallow (New York Brass Quintet), Steven Norrell (Metropolitan Opera Orchestra), and Jay Friedman (Chicago Symphony Orchestra).
The career of bass trombonist Barney McCollum, a member of “The President’s Own” U.S. Marine Band from 1980-1988, has included performances with the National Symphony, Kennedy Center Opera Orchestra, Baltimore Opera Orchestra, Annapolis Symphony, Fairfax Symphony, Maryland Symphony and Wolf Trap Filene Center Orchestra. Since returning to the Dallas/Fort Worth area in 1993, Barney has been active in performances with numerous ensembles in the Metroplex area including the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Opera Orchestra and the Richardson Symphony Orchestra; he is a member of the Dallas Wind Symphony and the East Texas Symphony Orchestra, in addition to other regional groups. Barney has also served as Adjunct Professor of Trombone at Texas Christian University (Fort Worth). Major teachers of the 1980 graduate of East Texas State University have been Neill Humfeld, Curtis Owen, Milt Stevens including additional Studies with Arnold Jacobs and Charles Vernon. When not playing the bass trombone, Barney serves as a licensed fire protection engineer employed by the U.S General Services Administration in Fort Woth, TX.
Brent Phillips is currently the Assistant Professor of Trombone at Baylor University. Prior to his position at Baylor, Mr. Phillips was assistant principal trombone of “The President’s Own” US Marine Band in Washington DC and is currently principal trombone of the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra in Pennsylvania and the Waco Symphony Orchestra in Waco TX. Mr. Phillips has soloed with the “President’s Own” on thirty separate occasions and has been a featured soloist with the Harrisburg Symphony on five occasions. Most recently, Mr. Phillips was a semi-finalist for the assistant principal trombone position with the New York Philharmonic.
As trombonist with the “President’s Own”, Mr. Phillips has gained extensive experience as a soloist. In the fall of 2000, Mr. Phillips was a featured soloist on the Marine Band’s fifty-two day national concert tour and has soloed numerous times with the Band at Wolf Trap Farm Park and the National Mall. Mr. Phillips recently gave the world premiere of “Tarkus” for trombone and orchestra with the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra in May of 2007 and was an invited soloist at the Eastern Trombone Workshop performing Tarkus with the US Army Band in 2008. The work received rave reviews and was featured in a recent New York Times article on trombone soloists and commissions. Mr. Phillips premiered “Tarkus” in Brussels and Ostend Belgium and will be releasing a recording with the Baylor Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Stephen Heyde.
Mr. Phillips performs regularly with the Dallas Symphony and Houston Symphony and has recent performances with the Buffalo Philharmonic. Additionally he as performed with the San Antonio Symphony, Richmond Symphony, Delaware Symphony, Maryland Symphony, Alexandria Symphony, Annapolis Symphony, Fairfax Symphony and the Washington Symphonic Brass.
Mr. Phillips has released the recording “Stepping Stones for Trombone” Volumes One and Two on the Potenza Music label which contain both moderate and advanced contest solos in the trombone repertoire.
“Stepping Stones for Trombone” is now available at www.justforbrass.com.
Mr. Phillips has been a featured artist at the Alessi Seminars in 2005, 2007 and in Italy in 2010 and remains active as a soloist and clinician around the country.
Dr. Jonathan Whitaker joined the faculty of the University of Alabama in the fall of 2009. Dr. Whitaker previously taught at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas as Assistant Professor of Trombone and Low Brass.
Dr. Whitaker is an active performer as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician. Whitaker can 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, Dr. Whitaker serves on the faculty of the Alessi Seminar. In 2005, he was selected as one of sixteen 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, Dr. Whitaker was 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 also gave a feature performance at the Eastern Trombone Workshop.
Dr. 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. Dr. 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.