ITF in GA open to full in-person attendance!!

[Mikebmiller]

The ITF just announced that they will be opening the festival for in-person attendance. That's great news!

I am working on the video crew this year, so if you see a short fat guy with a camera, stop by and say hello. I have been to the STS at Columbus State a couple of times and it is a fantastic place for this event. The dorms are a 2 minute walk from the music building and there are lots of restaurants within a short walking distance as well. Also, the whole thing is within a couple blocks of the Chattahoochee River and they have a 20 mile long running/biking trail next to the river if you want to get some exercise.

There is a vaccination requirement to attend in person, so go get your shot if you have not done so already!

[Peacemate]

The last part is the best part of these news, excluding the start.

[DougHulme]

The trouble for those of us living outside the US is we still cant fly there. I think I will have to give it a miss this year because of the uncertanties. Also although I have had both jabs - how do I prove that (in an acceptable manner to US authorities) - too many questions and the thought of quarantine is too much to contemplate both in time and money. The UK are charging extortionate sums for the only sort of test they will accept. £120 - £160 the last time I heard and waits at Heathrow are anything up to 8 hours to get back home... though I might be able to improve that if I were to travel with my horn!!!

[Mikebmiller]

I live about 5 hours from Columbus, so it’s a bit easier for me.

[Doug Elliott]

12 hours for me. Over 2 days, I sure don't want to do 12 hours in one day.
But consider that I also drove to the one in Riverside CA....

[Posaunus]

But consider that I also drove to the one in Riverside CA....

ITF - Redlands, CA - 2017?

It's a long distance from Maryland! How many days driving?

I also attended the ITF in 2017 - the only one I've been at other than the inaugural (?) in 1973 (?) in Cambridge, MA. Quite a different event, 44 years later! Loved it. And I enjoyed meeting you there, Doug.

[Doug Elliott]

The drive to Redlands and back was long - it covered Chicago, Minneapolis, Seattle, San Francisco, LA, San Diego, Phoeniz & Tucson, the Grand Canyon, Salt Lake City, Denver, Santa Fe, Oklahoma City, Memphis, and Atlanta before returning home. I think it put about 11,000 miles on my car.

Here's the history of ITF. I have only missed 3 of them: 1971 (didn't know about it), 1989 (I was in Air Force Basic Training), and 2009 (in the middle of rebuilding our house after a fire, couldn't afford that trip to Denmark)

2020 cancelled, would have been in Osaka, Japan
2019 Ball State University, Muncie, IN
2018 University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
2017 University of Redlands, CA
2016 The Juilliard School, New York City
2015 Conservatorio Superior de Música Joaquín Rodrigo, Valencia, Spain
2014 Eastman School of Music, Rochester, NY
2013 Schwob School of Music, Columbus State University, GA
2012 Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional (CRR) de Paris
2011 Vanderbilt University
2010 University of Texas at Austin
2009 Aarhus Academy of Music, Denmark
2008 University of Utah, Salt Lake City
2007 University of Las Vegas
2006 Birmingham Conservatoire, UK
2005 Loyola University, New Orleans
2004 Ithaca College
2003 Helsinki, Finland
2002 University of North Texas
2001 Belmont University
2000 Hoogeschool voor de Kunsten-Utrecht, The Netherlands
1999 State University-Potsdam, NY
1998 University of Colorado
1997 University of Illinois
1996 Landeskonservatorium, Feldkirch, Austria
1995 University of Nevada-Las Vegas
1994 University of Minnesota
1993 Cleveland State University
1992 Hochschule für Musik – Detmold, Germany
1991 Eastman School of Music
1990 Western Michigan University
1989 Eton College – Eton, UK
1988 Belmont College
1987 Belmont College
1986 Belmont College
1985 Belmont College
1984 Second International Brass Congress, Bloomington, IN
1983 Belmont College
1982 Belmont College
1981 Belmont College
1980 Belmont College (Nashville)
1979 George Peabody College for Teachers
1978 George Peabody College for Teachers
1977 George Peabody College for Teachers
1976 George Peabody College for Teachers
1975 George Peabody College for Teachers
1974 George Peabody College for Teachers
1973 George Peabody College for Teachers
1972 George Peabody College for Teachers
1971 George Peabody College for Teachers (Nashville)

[Posaunus]

Thanks, Doug for the recap. Long history for the ITF.

Wonder what the event was that I attended in Cambridge, MA in 1972 or 1973, organized by Tom Everett at Harvard. I thought that it was the inaugural or predecessor to, ITF. My aging memory seems to no longer be reliable!

[Doug Elliott]

Tom Everett was big in the organization from the beginning and there were some smaller events held around the same time.

[harrisonreed]

I'm still sour over the cancellation of the Osaka ITF last year. One of the only times I would have been able to go.

If only they had shifted right one year, instead. Although this year would have been cancelled too.

ITF seems to always be nearly on the 4th of July every year, making it nearly impossible to go... every year.

[Mikebmiller]

I will be shooting video in the choir room for 4 days. Y'all come by and say hello if you are in attendance. I will also need people to hang with after the concerts. Beer may be involved.

[sacfxdx]

Bring your vaccination card.

[Doug Elliott]

I am very much looking forward to it - seeing those I already know, and meeting those of you I haven't met. Come by my exhibit and say hi. Bring your horn and try mouthpieces.

Alcohol will be served. The kind for sterilizing, not for drinking.

[WGWTR180]

Word has it Edwards was a no show. True? If so WHY???

[Burgerbob]

Word has it Edwards was a no show. True? If so WHY???

In protest of ITF being folded in with a Shires-sponsored event, STS.

[WGWTR180]

That's too bad. It shouldn't be about the instrument-should be about the players.

[Doug Elliott]

I was there and I was totally unaware that the event was anything other than ITF.

[DougHulme]

Showing my ignorance who or what is STS?

[Doug Elliott]

Southeast Trombone Symposium

http://www.southeasttrombonesymposium.com/

[DougHulme]

Thanks Doug... I live and I learn!! Missed you all this year

[WGWTR180]

I was there and I was totally unaware that the event was anything other than ITF.

I'm sure Doug-I heard there were many wonderful performances. However when 1 instrument maker is front and center sponsoring every other event and others choose to not show up(Edwards and Yamaha to name 2)out of protest it's a shame. I don't remember other ITF(or similar) being that way. But maybe I just didn't notice.

[harrisonreed]

Word has it Edwards was a no show. True? If so WHY???

In protest of ITF being folded in with a Shires-sponsored event, STS.

Sort of a shame, but in the end, based on what I've seen at these events, the people going to buy horns all go straight to whatever has their favorite artist's name on it and blast it as loud as they can, and if they had already made their mind up to buy one before they left home they sign up to buy one.

Seeing as how almost all the artists have been bought by Shires and Courtois, I'm not too surprised.

[Doug Elliott]

I just assumed the smaller number of vendors was because of the last minute decision to open it up. It's not like they weren't allowed to be there.

[harrisonreed]

I just assumed the smaller number of vendors was because of the last minute decision to open it up. It's not like they weren't allowed to be there.

Was the number of attendees also lower than normal this year?

[WGWTR180]

I just assumed the smaller number of vendors was because of the last minute decision to open it up. It's not like they weren't allowed to be there.

No one has suggested they weren't allowed to be there. Previous comments suggest they chose not to come in protest. There are people on this Chat who work for or who are associated with Edwards. Maybe someone can speak up!

[CalgaryTbone]

It is a shame - not sure that anyone, including the ITA or Shires thought ahead of time that having one vendor being a major sponsor of the entire event would give one manufacturer a lot more " advertisement time" than their competitors. It likely just evolved out of the fact that the location for the ITF was the same place that has the STS every summer. Shires is a major sponsor for that because the faculty were all their artists. There is some sense in combining two trombone events into one, particularly this year, but the ITF has always juggled the various instrument companies better. Sometimes they sponsor the appearance of one of their artists, but not the actual event. The ITF isn't a rich organization - no one gets paid to appear, so an instrument company might pick up the cost of a plane ticket and /or hotel room. It's nice that even though there's a certain competition for the dollars of the people that come to these events, there is usually a sense of shared interest in the instrument that overrides that.

Also, I'd agree that there are way too many people blasting away on products with little intention of buying them, there are also serious players that use these events to find a new instrument or mouthpiece, etc. It's a great way to try multiple brands. I bought my small tenor and my alto at the Ithaca ITF. The folks there were really helpful, including knowing where I could slip away to for a chance to play the instruments for a good 20 - 30 minutes in relative quiet. I got that same kind of treatment, by the way, by more than one company, even though I ended up buying from the same manufacturer that I was already playing on.

Jim Scott

[Mikebmiller]

I just assumed the smaller number of vendors was because of the last minute decision to open it up. It's not like they weren't allowed to be there.

Was the number of attendees also lower than normal this year?

I would guess there were 400 people or more. Not many international attendees, but a good representation of American colleges and orchestras. I heard a few new people that I was not familiar with. Although I had heard of Megumi Kanda, I had never heard her play live. She has just about the most beautiful sound I have ever heard on a trombone. On the jazz side, I was blown away by Sara Jocovino.

And I have to give a big shout out to Brad Jenson. Brad was my roommate at STS in 2015. He is a bit like me - a strong amateur player who sometimes wishes he had tried to go pro. Anyway, Brad has no formal training in arranging, or even in music theory, but he took the music from the LOTR movies and arranged an hour long trombone choir suite that was one of the highlights of the show. It didn't hurt having an all-star group to play it either.

And for anyone that wants to whine about the festival and its cohabitation with STS, I suggest you try putting on a festival yourself and see how much work it takes. Yes, Shires was a major sponsor, but I'm sure they put a bunch of money into the event which made it better for everyone and possibly knocked a bit off of the cost.

[harrisonreed]

Megumi Kanda is outstanding and her teaching is superior in every way. I show her music and teaching to all my students as an example of great symphonic playing, and she is my go to example that I give to female students who need a female musical role model. It's important, especially for young kids. Also her excerpt book is GREAT.

I thought it was pretty funny they had De Meij conducting that LOTR thing by Howard Shore .... Considering DeMeij's composition that predates it...

[Doug Elliott]

It was nice to finally meet Megumi. I'll check out her concert online since I couldn't go to it.

I didn't get to much in the way of concerts, but the level of playing I heard from everybody there was outstanding, both jazz and classical. Even in the exhibit room.

And for the first time we had an absolutely world-class rhythm section for all of the jazz events - DC area players, Todd Simon on piano, Amy Shook on bass, and Todd Harrison on drums. They deserve to be recognized as much as any of the trombone players.

[CalgaryTbone]

Megumi is a wonderful player! I highly recommend her new book, "Trombone Unlimited". Great for intermediate to advanced students, and for professional players too as a good source of exercises/etudes to work on fundamentals.

Jim Scott

[Mikebmiller]

Megumi Kanda is outstanding and her teaching is superior in every way. I show her music and teaching to all my students as an example of great symphonic playing, and she is my go to example that I give to female students who need a female musical role model. It's important, especially for young kids. Also her excerpt book is GREAT.

I thought it was pretty funny they had De Meij conducting that LOTR thing by Howard Shore .... Considering DeMeij's composition that predates it...

Chris Van Hoff conducted that show.

[Mikebmiller]

It was nice to finally meet Megumi. I'll check out her concert online since I couldn't go to it.

I didn't get to much in the way of concerts, but the level of playing I heard from everybody there was outstanding, both jazz and classical. Even in the exhibit room.

And for the first time we had an absolutely world-class rhythm section for all of the jazz events - DC area players, Todd Simon on piano, Amy Shook on bass, and Todd Harrison on drums. They deserve to be recognized as much as any of the trombone players.

Doug - you are right. Those 3 had to be worn out after the event. They played all day and all night long for 4 days.