[TPIN] Brass Chamber Music Workshop in California

[Ray Burkhart]

Dear TPINners,

There are a great many of you and your brass-playing friends who would 
deeply enjoy attending the annual Humboldt State University Brass 
Chamber Music Workshop in Arcata, California. Read on for more information.

This being its 35th year, I think it is by far the granddaddy of brass 
chamber music workshops. And it has a different focus than other "brass 
camps" which focus on young emerging professional players and brass 
quintets. The HSUBCMW attracts players from high school age to beyond 
retirement. Many are excellent brass players and chamber musicians with 
their own groups at home and some either have had professional brass 
careers or are seeking to achieve that. But many of our participants are 
brass players just for the love of brass playing. Some had never played 
a brass quartet or quintet before attending our workshop, and some have 
come to us from an exclusively jazz background. It makes no difference. 
Our focus is on learning the brass chamber music literature, from brass 
trios all the way through quartets and quintets to larger brass 
ensembles. We emphasize the rehearsal and coaching elements of the 
workshop and strive to take the stress off performing, although each 
ensemble performs a brief selection each evening.

Participants are assigned to a new ensemble each day and receive 
day-long coaching. Housing is in campus dorms, and the cafeteria food at 
Humboldt is considered the best at CSU campuses across California. 
Participants take advantage of plenty of free time after the evening 
concerts to "freelance" with old and new friends. In other words, you 
have time to play new music you just heard and your favorite brass 
chamber music, too, on your own at end of day. Daily optional hour-long 
special sessions are offered by the coaching staff on topics of interest 
to brass players.

Although the camp days are full, many participants use the early hours 
or afternoon time to hike in the adjacent Redwood forest, swim, play 
"beach" volleyball at the dorm, or any number of other fun activities. 
HSU is located on the northern California coast a short drive north of 
Eureka, a beautiful five-hour drive north of San Francisco through some 
of the state's most beautiful countryside. If you have the extra time, 
drive coastal highway 1 for an unforgettable experience. Unlike most of 
the nation and most of California during late July, the weather in 
Arcata is usually on the cool side and is often overcast part of the 
day, providing delicious mid-summer relief from the heat.

While we have many new participants each year, a high percentage of 
brass players return each year like the swallows to Capistrano, 
sometimes for many, many years. Participants come from around the 
nation, and we sometimes have international players, as well. It's an 
interesting and fun bunch of people. It's also, dollar for dollar, an 
inexpensive vacation compared to almost anything else, and many.folks 
say they would have started attending much earlier if they had known how 
wonderful it is. It used to be a single week long, but its growth was so 
robust that we had to split into two weeks some years ago. Participants 
can sign up for either week, and some attend both. It's really that 
enjoyable.

I was twice a participant in this program during my college years and 
have been on the coaching staff since 1985. I love the program and think 
most of you will, too. More information and downloadable PDF application 
forms are available at 
http://www.humboldt.edu/~extended/special/brass/about.html. Please feel 
free to forward this message to brassy friends of yours, and I'll be 
happy to answer any questions.

Ray Burkhart
www.tromba.us