by Nicholas Stevens
On a recent Sunday afternoon in Cleveland State Univesity’s Waetjen Auditorium, extraordinary sights and sounds filled the room without overwhelming it. For those accustomed to hearing symphony orchestras in concert, forty-seven will not sound like an especially high number of musicians to see onstage — until it becomes clear that the group consists exclusively of low brass players. The ten tubists and thirty-seven trombonists of the Cleveland Trombone Seminar brought finesse and energy to a varied program, their instruments’ reputations for volume and slowness cast aside at the auditorium’s threshold. [Read more…]
Last week, as part of the seventh annual Cleveland Trombone Seminar, a concert by Mark Lancaster Lusk took listeners into the heart of the brass player’s world: a region dominated by vocal music, modernist explorations, and jazz.
From June 16-24, the Cleveland Trombone Seminar, spearheaded by Cleveland Orchestra assistant principal trombone Shachar Israel, will feature a series of performances by faculty and students in Drinko Hall at Cleveland State University. CTS is a week-long seminar for young trombonists designed to further their professional education. In addition to master classes, it presents clinics on form and performance anxiety and focuses on optimal progress through correct practice. 
The Cleveland Trombone Seminar, the brainchild of Cleveland Orchestra assistant principal trombone and CSU faculty member Shachar Israel, will bring distinguished trombonists and students together on the campus of Cleveland State University for a variety of masterclasses, lectures, and performances from June 6 through June 14