PRESS RELEASE: 15th Anniversary Concert
April 15, 2007; 4:00 PM; Centenary Church
The Lexington Brass Band celebrates its 15th Anniversary Concert with guest artists Terry Everson, trumpet, Douglas Yeo, bass trombone, and Skip Gray, conductor, on Sunday, April 15th, at 4:00 PM, Centenary Church, 2800 Tates Creek Rd, Lexington. Everson and Gray are former members of the group, as principal cornet and co-conductor respectively. Douglas Yeo serves as the bass trombonist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Tickets are $5.00, General admission. Tickets available at the door. For further information contact: 859-858-3877 or 859-858-3511 Ext. 2246; email: ronald.holz@asbury.edu.
Our guests have strong connections to Lexington and its outstanding brass band. Terry Everson served not only as the band’s principal cornet, but also as principal trumpet of the Lexington Philharmonic and as trumpet professor at The University of Kentucky. Skip Gray was co-conductor of the band for the first 7 seasons, 1992–1999. Doug Yeo makes his first appearance with the LBB, but he is no stranger to brass bands, as he conducts the New England Brass Band.
Dr. Skip Gray will lead the band in a new short, and brilliant work he has written for the band on this occasion, Night Flight. Everson will be heard on works he played with the band in the past, Joseph Turrin’s Escapade (piccolo trumpet), and Stephen Bulla’s arrangement of Blessed Assurance (flugelhorn and B Flat trumpet). Yeo has chosen two Bill Geldard big-band style charts, one an adaptation of Grieg’s In the Hall of the Mountain King, and then the classic Stella By Starlight. Both Yeo and Everson will also feature short, but challenging unaccompanied pieces.
Among the band’s music will be two arrangements by principal trombone David Henderson: the neoclassic gem Overture in B Flat (Caesar Giovannini) and the Count Basie, big band hit, Magic Flea. Eric Ball’s masterful Celebration: Fantasia for Brass Band rounds out the varied program. The spectacular concert will conclude with all participants joining on John Philip Sousa’s The Stars and Stripes Forever, the natonal march of the USA. The program is designed to last one hour and should prove ideal for the widest audience range.
Terry Everson is an internationally renowned trumpet soloist, active as performer, educator, composer/arranger and church musician. He first gained international attention in 1988, winning (on consecutive days) both the Baroque/Classical and 20th Century categories of the inaugural Ellsworth Smith International Trumpet Competition, with further success as First Prize laureate of the 1990 Louise D. McMahon International Music Competition. Mr. Everson has premiered major works by composers John Davison, Stanley Friedman, Jan Krzywicki, Elena Roussanova-Lucas, and Gary Ziek. His collaboration with pianist Susan Nowicki has produced two complete recordings of numerous notable modern works, as well as single entries on two discs devoted to the works of Davison and Krzywicki; he has also recorded as soloist with the New England Brass Band, the Lexington Brass Band and the Eastern Wind Symphony. He is a Life Member of the International Trumpet Guild, having served as Conference Host in 1998, and for six years was Music Notation Specialist for the Guild’s quarterly Journal.
In September 1999, Mr. Everson joined the faculty of the Boston University College of Fine Arts and Tanglewood Institute; he has also served on the faculties of Asbury College, the University of Kentucky, Philadelphia College of Bible, the Las Vegas Music Festival, and the Lutheran Music Program. He is currently Principal Trumpet of the Peninsula Music Festival in Door County, WI, and Principal Solo Cornet and Associate Conductor of the New England Brass Band. He appears frequently as a recitalist and clinician, and as soloist with orchestras, wind ensembles and brass bands. His extensive concert experience also includes appearances in the Boston Symphony and Pops, Philadelphia Orchestra, Boston Ballet, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Chestnut Brass Company, Philadelphia Natural Trumpet Ensemble, Lexington Philharmonic, Lexington Brass Band, Kentuckiana Brass and Percussion Ensemble, Ray Charles, Manhattan Transfer, Kentucky Jazz Repertory Orchestra, and as conductor of the Boston University and the University of Kentucky Trumpet Ensembles in various venues, including two international brass conferences.
Mr. Everson has been an active church musician for most of the past 20 years; he was Minister of Music at True Light Community Ministries in inner-city Philadelphia, and held the same position at Family Worship Center in Lexington. From 2003-2005 he was Worship Pastor at Metro Church in Marlborough, MA; he and his wife, Lori, are members of the Worship Team and the Pastoral Care staff there.
Dr. Skip Gray joined the faculty of the University of Kentucky School of Music in August 1980 and holds the rank of Professor of Music. He served as President of the International Tuba-Euphonium Association (formerly T.U.B.A.) from 2001 to 2003 and hosted the 1992 International Tuba-Euphonium Conference. Gray has appeared as a tuba soloist and clinician throughout the United States, Europe, Japan, and Australia and has served as Principal Tuba with the Lexington Philharmonic since 1980. He has played with many American and European orchestras, served as Principal Tuba with the Orchestra Sinfonica di Torino della RAI in Turin, Italy, and until recently was a member of the Munich Brass. Gray’s new solo compact disc entitled “Tuba Europa-a musical journey across the continent” was released in 2005 by Mark Records and was one of three finalists for the 2006 I.T.E.A. Roger Bobo Award for the outstanding tuba solo recording of the year. Skip Gray is a Yamaha Performing Artist.
Douglas Yeo has been bass trombonist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra since 1985. Prior to coming to Boston, where he is also Professor of Trombone at New England Conservatory of Music, he was a member of the Baltimore Symphony and a high school band director in Edison, New Jersey. A graduate of Wheaton College, Illinois (1976, Bachelor of Music, cum laude) and New York University (1979, Master of Arts), he has lectured and taught at colleges and universities around the world including Harvard University, the Toho School (Tokyo), the Manhattan School of Music (New York), the Royal Academy of Music (London) and the Royal Northern College of Music (Manchester).
Mr. Yeo has recorded five solo recordings including his best-selling album “Proclamation” (with the Black Dyke Band) and his duet collaboration with Nick Hudson and the Fairey Band, “Two of a Mind.” As Music Director of the New England Brass Band, which he led to a first place Honors Section finish at the 2006 North American Brass Band Association Championship, he has recorded four albums including, most recently, “The Light of the World” and “This Is Christmas.” During his 22 years as a member of the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops he has appeared on nearly 100 classical recordings and movie soundtracks including the scores to John Williams’ “Schindler’s List” and “Saving Private Ryan.” He has also been a frequent soloist with the Boston Pops and Boston Symphony including performances, on bass trombone of John Williams’ “Tuba Concerto” (conducted by Williams), Chris Brubeck’s “Bass Trombone Concerto (conducted by Keith Lockhart) and, on serpent, Simon Proctor’s “Serpent Concerto (conducted by Keith Lockhart). He also has been soloist with the New York Staff Band of the Salvation Army, the Athena Brass Band and the Fodens Band.
A prolific writer, Douglas Yeo’s award-winning website (www.yeodoug.com) offers hundred of pages of articles and resources relating to music, music making and his many other interests. Mr. Yeo serves on the Board of Directors of the North American Brass Band Association, is editor of NABBA’s official publication, “The Brass Band Bridge” and is one of the world’s leading exponents of historical low brasses including buccin, serpent and ophicleide. Douglas Yeo is a Yamaha International Performing Artist and plays on the YAMAHA YBL-822 bass trombone and YAMAHA Douglas Yeo Signature Series Mouthpiece, both of which he developed with YAMAHA.
