Clark orchestra features trombone soloist
VANCOUVER, Wash. - - The Clark College Orchestra will present its winter concert as part of the 20th anniversary of Dr. Donald Appert as Music Director/Conductor in a season entitled "Precious Gems for a Score" on Wednesday, March 10, in the Royal Durst Theatre of the Vancouver School of Arts & Academics, 3101 Main St., Vancouver. Featured on the program will be recently retired Principal Trombonist of the Boston Symphony Ronald Barron. He will perform the world premiere of the Palmetto Suite by Eric Ewazen. This work was originally commissioned by Mr. Barron for alto trombone and piano and recorded on his CD Return of the Alto available on the Boston Brass Series. Mr. Ewazen, currently a member of the faculty of the Juilliard School of Music, will be in attendance at the concert. Mr. Barron will also perform the well-known Concertino by David. The concert will open with Copland's "Buckaroo Holiday" from Rodeo and conclude with Richard Strauss' tone poem Death and Transfiguration. The performance is at 7:30 P.M. and admission is free and open to the public. Donations to the Orchestra General Fund will be accepted at the door.
Ronald Barron was Principal Trombonist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1975 until 2008. He joined the orchestra in 1970 after being a member of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, and also served as Principal Trombonist of the Boston Pops for thirteen seasons. Mr. Barron is a graduate of the College-Conservatory of Music of the University of Cincinnati, where he studied with Ernest Glover. During his college years, he also toured with the American Wind Symphony.
In 1974, Ronald Barron shared the highest prize awarded at the Munich International Competition. This included a solo appearance, where he performed the Frank Martin
Ballade for trombone and orchestra with the competition sponsor, the Bavarian State Radio Orchestra. Mr. Barron was a frequent soloist with the Boston Pops Orchestra and appeared with a number of New England area orchestras and bands. As a recitalist he has performed across the U.S., Europe and Japan. In addition to numerous recordings with the Boston Symphony and the Boston Pops, Mr. Barron has recorded and performed with the Canadian Brass, Empire Brass, and Summit Brass, and has nine successful solo recordings.
Mr. Barron has been a faculty member for the International Trombone Workshop and the Keystone Brass Institute, and teaches at the New England Conservatory of Music. He formerly taught at Boston University and the Tanglewood Music Center. He is on the board of advisors for the International Trombone Association and has served on the juries for the international competitions of Toulon, France, and Munich, Germany. Mr. Barron received the 2005 ITA Award from the International Trombone Association "In recognition of his distinguished career and in acknowledgement of his impact on the world of trombone performance."
During the Boston Symphony's Tanglewood season, Mr. Barron and his wife Ina operate their bed and breakfast, Échézeaux, in Richmond, MA. Through his deep interest in wine, he has earned the level of "Certified Specialist of Wine" as awarded by the Society of Wine Educators.
Eric Ewazen was born in 1954 in Cleveland, Ohio. Receiving a B.M. at the Eastman School of Music, and M.M. and D.M.A. degrees from The Juilliard School, his teachers include Milton Babbitt, Samuel Adler, Warren Benson, Joseph Schwantner and Gunther Schuller. He is a recipient of numerous composition awards and prizes. His works have been commissioned and performed by many soloists, chamber ensembles and orchestras in the U.S. and overseas. His works are recorded on Summit Records, d'Note Records, CRS Records, New World, Clique Track, Helicon, Hyperion, Cala, Albany and Emi Classics. Individual works of Eric Ewazen have recently been released by the Ahn Trio, Julie Giacobassi of the San Francisco Symphony, Charles Vernon of the Chicago Symphony, Koichiro Yamamoto of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Ronald Barron of the Boston Symphony, Doug Yeo of the Boston Symphony, Steve Witser of the Cleveland Orchestra, Joe Alessi and Philip Smith of the New York Philharmonic, the Horn Section of the New York Philharmonic, the Summit Brass Ensemble and the American Brass Quintet. His music is published by Southern Music Company, International Trombone Association Manuscript Press, Keyboard Publications, Manduca Music, Encore Music, Triplo Music, and Brass Ring Editions.
Recent works include
Legacy commissioned for the Bi-Centennial of West Point and performed by the U.S.M.A. Band in Carnegie Hall and
Flight, commissioned by the U.S.A.F. Heritage of America Band at Langley A.F.B., VA, celebrating the 100th anniversary of powered flight. Recent premieres of his Orchestral and Wind Ensemble works have been given by the Charleston (SC) Symphony, West Virginia Symphony, Orquesta Sinfonica de Tenerife in Spain, Orquesta Sinfonica Carlos Chavez in Mexico City, Orchestre de la Garde Republicaine in Paris, the Jeju Music Festival Wind Ensemble in Korea and the Moment Musicale Orchestra of Taiwan. Recent Wind ensemble premieres include his Bassoon Concerto for the University of Florida, a Euphonium Concerto (for Robert Grechesky and the Butler University Wind Ensemble),
Visions of Light for Joseph Alessi and the Indiana University Wind Ensemble. He was also commissioned to write a Trumpet Concerto,
Danzante, for Allen Vizzutti by CBDNA which was premiered in Reno, NV in March, 2004, by the Intercollegiate Wind Ensemble. Orchestral performances of Mr. Ewazen's music have recently been given by the Juilliard Symphony, Stow Chamber Orchestra (OH), Flower Mound Chamber Orchestra (TX), Birmingham (UK) Philharmonic, Illinois Symphony, Israel Symphony Orchestra Rishon Le'Zion, Honolulu Symphony, Mankato (MN) Symphony and the Everett (WA) Symphony.
He has been lecturer for the New York Philharmonic's Musical Encounters Series, Vice-President of the League of Composers--International Society of Contemporary Music, and Composer-In-Residence with the Orchestra of St. Luke's in New York City. He has been a faculty member at Juilliard since 1980.