Ohio University School of Music’s Trombone Day will bring together a range of musicians from high school students and college students to internationally renowned performers.
The Trombone Day concerts will take place February 8 in Glidden Recital Hall, 3 Health Center Drive, with Jose Milton Vieira’s Solo Recital at 1 p.m. and the concert featuring José Milton Vieira with the OU Trombone Choir and the Participant Choir at 5 p.m.
“It's a way of celebrating the instrument and what the instrument can do,” Lucas Borges, assistant professor of trombone at OU and organizer of Trombone Day, said. “In Athens, specifically, it's a way of showing the community what trombones are about...It’s bringing the trombone community together.”
Vieira, this year's guest artist, is a Brazilian native who has played around the world in countries including the United States, France, Switzerland, Cuba, Germany and Italy. He is the winner of numerous national and international music competitions.
“Honestly speaking, [he’s] the most impressive young trombonist I've seen in my life,” Borges said. “He's super impressive… [and] he's become an international soloist now. I'm proud that he's coming.”
Vieira’s concert will feature a different collection and feel than the concert’s of previous Trombone Days.
“He's going to play a recital which is different from many Trombone Days, which will be mostly Brazilian music, also Brazilian classical music, which I think makes it more appealing to people. [During] the final concert is when he will play a more traditional trombone stuff. ” Borges said.
The final concert will feature a mass trombone choir of Trombone Day participants, OU’s Trombone Choir, as well as the guest artist.
“So we're going to have approximately 50 to 60 trombone players on stage,” Borges said, “It's a lot of fun...We always have the guest artist’s solo. So the young kids...who just learned what a trombone is, are playing with this world renowned person.”
The experience is unique for participants not only in that they get to play with a world renowned artist, but also don’t have to pay an arm and a leg to do so. Participants only pay between $5 and $10 depending on when they register, and Borges compares the experience to events that charge around $50.
“I don't remember any other school that does exactly something called Trombone Day in Ohio,” Borges said. “This is a region that unfortunately doesn't have access to many things besides the university, but it is our duty to bring world class art to campus [and] share it to the students, so they have access to those things.”
Many students think the event is a very fun and important experience for college and high school students alike.
“I've lived in Athens for the past six years, and Trombone Day is an annual thing. It's fun for high school students and the music majors here to experience a professional in the field on their primary instrument… It's just gonna be a fun experience and it's the final concert is just always a blast to see,” Jacob Stoker, a freshman majoring in tuba performance and music education, said.
Other students put an emphasis on the experience’s great educational value.
“Trombone Day is really great opportunity for high school students to just see what they can do if they continue on with their instrument and go into the field of performance or education on their instrument,” said Macie French, a freshman majoring in music education.
