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I had the opportunity to play a recital and teach a masterclass on June 1st in Tokyo. My hosts were the Japanese Trumpeter's Association and Yamaha. The concert was at the Music Salon at the huge Yamaha store in the Ginza in Tokyo. The crowd was standing room only, and of course many were trumpet players! My collaborative pianist was the extraordinary Midori Nagahara, and the program was the J. G. Penniquin "Morceau de Concert," Charles Reskin's "Sonata" and Joseph Turrin's "Caprice." Following the mini-concert was a masterclass which included 3 players from Tokyo -- an undergraduate student, a graduate student, and a free-lance performer, all being coached on standard orchestral excerpts.

For those who are not familiar with the repertoire, the Pennequin is a French piece originally for cornet that was the required "contest piece" at the Paris Conservatory in 1907. It is through composed, but in 3 distinct sections in the usual fast-slow-fast arrangement. The Reskin "Sonata" was written exactly 100 years after the Penniquin, and is a C trumpet piece that I hope will earn a place in the standard trumpet recital repertoire. It is in 3 movements, with the first in traditional sonata form. The slow movement is envisioned as a lullaby, and features the flugelhorn. The middle part of the movement is an extended section in a 1950's jazz style. The last movement is very fast, and is in mixed meters. In some ways, it is reminiscent of the "old west," with a hint of Bernstein mixed in. I think it is terrific piece! I closed with a showpiece by Turrin that alternates between very fast passages that test the fingers and flexibility, and beautiful lyrical melodies. It is a great work to open or close recital programs.

In the past couple of weeks I have been able to teach in Beijing and Macau, and have met some wonderful people along the way. My experiences reinforce the feeling that we live in one big, interconnected world -- and a world that is filled with trumpet players!