29-31st May 2010, Singapore Brass Explosion! Festival

The festival was organized by “TOP BRASS” (www.brasssociety.com/topbrass/) the top Music Shop in Singapore for brass instruments.

This shop was founded by 3 professional brass players from the Singapore Symphony to guaranty brass players in Singapore the supply with only the very best Brass instruments:

All three have been great friends of mine for years and I want to congratulate them to this great event!

The festival took place at the fantastic modern venue of the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) in the very heart of Singapore.

“Warm up”  at 35 degree in the outside yard of the university was not really necessary, but it became a session about general basics of trombone playing.

The first concert was a super nice event in great atmosphere here on the “Green” of NAFA University.

Performing “Pavane pour une infante defunte “outdoors in the tropics became a real challenge for a trombone player from Scandinavia. Shannon Pittaway, Bass trombonist with the Singapore Symphony, conducting the trombone ensemble.

Allen Meek, principal trombonist of the Singapore Symphony has been a really dear friend of mine for some years now. Therefore it was very special for me that he joined me in my recital to play the Johannes Brahms duet: “So lass uns wandern”.

Allen loves the German romantic music as much as I do and so it became a very touching moment of the festival.

A lot of great Trumpets, Trombones and French Horns could be tested during the instrument exhibition.

 

Allen Meek, Unai Urrecho, Fredi Sonderegger and I, trying out trombones at the instrument exhibition.

I met Unai Urreho for the first time at this festival. He is professor at the Suwon University, a great trombone artist and super nice guy. We got on right away!

Bart van Lier is simply one of the most outstanding and inspiring artists I ever experienced on the trombone! His performances at night in the jazz club were spectacular. It was a real honor and pleasure to meet this living trombone legend in Singapore. We spend a lot of time in the campus café talking about trombone playing, music and life in general.

Heinrich Thein (Thein Brass) and Phillip Alexander (Alexander Horns) came all the way from Germany to show their instruments at the festival. Here they are enjoying the markets of Singapore at night.