We get to see the spectacle every four years around this time of year. We have the opportunity to see those who have practiced their craft for years and are among the best. We have that same opportunity with the Ellsworth Smith Trumpet Competition. Every four years, this competition, is held and sponsored by the International Trumpet Guild. The event was held at the University of Alabama's School of Music this time around.

Finalists included:

Tessa Ellis

Matyas Daniel Fieszl

Samuel Huss

Huw Morgan

Brent Proseus

Marc Sutton

The final round was performed with orchestra. The pieces were Evensong by Stephen Gryc and Jacques Hetu Trumpet Concerto. Huw Morgan prevailed and was the winner this time. The performances are excellent and well worth checking out the attached video.

Streaming Options

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Evensong on Amazon

Evensong on iTunes

Hetu Concerto on Amazon

Hetu Concerto on iTunes

The 2016 International Trumpet Guild Conference is coming up soon. ITG's annual Trumpet pilgrimage will take place in Anaheim, California from May 31 to June 4. The tagline for this year's conference is "ITG celebrates legendary players from the Pacific Rim and beyond."

As usual, the conference will have competitions, exhibitions, masterclasses, and a boatload of performances. There's too many performances and events to list. Well actually, they have a website with a list, so you can read that. We have 5 that we believe are not to be missed and stood out to us.

Recital: Jon Lewis and Tamir Akta

So many people have heard the playing of Jon Lewis and don't know it. The prolific Hollywood studio artist can be heard playing on a multitude of film scores. Lewis is an amazing studio player, but also an awesome soloist. Tamir Akta should be know by many more than he is. The Israeli trumpeter will be a welcome addition to this program. Don't miss this pairing.

Lecture Recital: "Sousa Era Cornet Solos"-Charlie Daval

Don't you wish you could have seen a time when Sousa was traveling and people lined up to see concerts with Cornet solos and all the schmaltzy fanfare that came with them? This is a great way to learn about this period.

Masterclass: Wayne Bergeron

You need a reason to go to a masterclass with Wayne Bergeron?

Panel: Jazz Composers

John Adler will host the panel featuring Ralph Alessi, Alex Sipiagin, and Herman Mehari. This is a great subject with awesome panelists who will undoubtedly have lots to say.

Clinic: "On Connecting the Ear and Brass Performance"-John Schlabach

John Schlabach, host of a previous ITG conference, has lots of great things to say about ear training. Be sure to check this one out.

What will you be looking forward to at the 2016 ITG conference? Let us know in the comments.

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ITG 2016 Conference