The USA Trumpet Ensemble, under the direction of Dr. Peter Wood, performed at the 35th annual conference of the International Trumpet Guild in Sydney, Australia July 4-13. The ensemble was made up of USA students Jessica Alexander, Thomas Finch, Tray Fox, Len Jenkins, and Cody Salter and was assisted by Davidson High School student David Sayers, who also competed in the ITG Youth Solo Competition. One of only about a dozen university ensembles chosen from all over the world, the group was invited to perform after having submitted a successful audition recording last fall. They played on Saturday, July 10 as the opening prelude performance for a concert of the Sydney Brass and were received enthusiastically by an appreciative audience of fellow musicians.

Dr. Wood, associate professor of music at USA, was an active participant throughout the conference as well. He played the World Premiere performance of The Concept of Anxiety, a new work for solo trumpet and piano by Massachusetts composer Robert J. Bradshaw. He also taught a trumpet master class for local students and teachers at The Music Place, one of the largest music stores in Australia, and played in the grand finale performance of the conference, the “Festival of Trumpets,” in which trumpet professors and performers from all over the world play together in mass trumpet ensembles.

In addition to performing, the USA students were able to observe other performances and lectures by some of the world’s great artists at the conference, the only major international event of its kind. The students were able to visit all the major sights of Sydney; and on their last day in Australia, they hiked through the rainforest of the famous Blue Mountains, where they saw koalas, kangaroos, and other exotic wildlife. It was a spectacular and memorable trip for all involved and something for which the USA Music Department is extremely proud.