UNITUBA Weblog

During the past weekend, the Cedar Rapids Symphony held auditions.  Sunday, August 27 included auditions for Principal Trumpet (1 year), Principal Trombone, Second Trombone and Bass Trombone.  As a member of the audition committee, I arrived at 11:30 am to find that the Second Clarinet Audition was running overtime…they had begun at 8 am.  When we finally finished the Bass Trombone audition, it was 11:15 pm!!  No down time….meals at the table…10 minute breaks to clear your head…..a gruelling day on both sides of the curtain!

Auditions in CR are ‘blind’ auditions meaning that candidates are assigned a number when they check in.  During the audition, the first round performances are behind a curtain so that the committee does not know who they are hearing.  If a significant number of candidates are advanced to the second round (which was the case), then the second round was also behind a curtain.  Only at the final did the candidates perform where the committee could see them.

For the brass positions, 16 trumpets, 18 trombones and 10 bass trombones auditioned.  It was a really excellent set of audition with candidates coming from as far away as Oregon to audition.  In the end, the following contracts were offered and accepted:

• Andrew Classen, principal trumpet (one year)
• Matt Conrad, principal trombone
• George Krem, second trombone
• Brian Hardester, bass trombone

Congratulations to our new members of the Cedar Rapids Symphony Brass Section!  The first concert of the season will be Saturday, September 23 and will feature A LOT of brass playing in Elgar’s ‘In the South’ Overture and the ever popular ‘Pines of Rome’ by Respeigi.

Posted by Jeff Funderburk at 5:43 AM | Permalink

My new trombone colleague had an interesting experience last weekend that he was kind enough to share in order to alert others.  As we have learned of other musicians who have fallen for this, it seemed appropriate to get this information out.  Thanks to Dr. Chris Buckholtz for sharing this story!

Hello All,

I hate mass email just as much as you do (and this is a long one to boot), but I just had something interesting happen to me that I think everyone should be aware of.  According to Wells Fargo here in Cedar Falls, this scam is fairly new but has happened often enough to be alarming.

I was contacted two weeks ago by email by a guy from Belgium named Peter Lars.  He wanted trombone lessons from his son, who was supposed to be a high school exchange student in Cedar Falls.  The son was to stay with cousins in the area.  He wanted two lessons a week, every week for six months.  I gave him a price of $100 per week thinking that if  he didn't like it, so what; more free time for me.  He agreed to the price and said that he would send a check to cover the lessons.  He seemed fairly
knowledgeable, and while I wouldn't hire a teacher without meeting them first, he said his kid was really serious, he trusted me because of my position, and he liked my credentials.

Yesterday, I received a cashier's check for $8700.  He called me last night and I explained that the check was for $6300 too much.  He said his wife sent the check and he would talk to her and call me back.  When he called back, he said that his wife sent the wrong check.  She sent me the check that was supposed to go to his son's hosts here for living
expenses.  When I asked him what I should do about it, he said to deposit the check and then send the extra money to a "travel agency" in Belgium by Western Union.  His son needed the money for his trip, so there wasn't time to send a new check.  I said I would go to the bank today and deposit it.

As I drove to the bank this morning, Peter called me.  I told him that the bank would hold the check for at least a day, so that I couldn't send the funds until at least Monday.  He said that was fine; we had to do what the banks require.  Then I got to Wells Fargo.  They looked at
the check and said it seemed bogus.  They looked at it under ultraviolet light and the usual security marks weren't there.  They would have to hold a check like this for four days.  I decided not to deposit the check.

I then called the bank that it was drawn on in Elmhurst, IL by calling information.  They asked me to fax them a copy of the check.  I went to my office to write a fax cover letter and decided to get the bank's office phone # while I was at it.  When I Googled their name and
location, the first page listed was for an FDIC fraud website.  The bank is real, but the bank has been victimised by check counterfeiters.  One of the routing numbers on the check was wrong for this bank.  Sometimes the fake checks have the right routing number on them.  The check is a very good quality forgery.  I never would have suspected it as a fake, and fortunately the bank caught it.I've called the FBI, but they probably get this all the time.  According to the cashiers at Wells Fargo, they've seen several fake cashier's checks recently that were sent by relatives of "foreign students."  The checks are always made out for too much money, and they expect you to deposit them and send the amount over back.

I mention this story to you because I really thought that Mr."Lars" wanted lessons for his kid.  This wasn't a letter from Nigeria, or an email asking if I wanted to make a quick buck for doing nothing.  This guy took time and effort to research what I do and to tailor his scam to
me personally. He provided addresses, phone numbers, and legitimate email addresses.  He answered all my concerns and questions about his son in a reasonable manner.  His initial email to me was not spam.  He targeted me because I am a music educator who gives lessons.  It seems like educators, who naturally trust and want to help students from
overseas, would be good marks for this scam.

And yes, feel free to insert whatever dumb trombone player joke you wish
here!

Take care,
Chris

Posted by Jeff Funderburk at 5:32 AM | Permalink

After a rather lengthy day of travel, I find myself safely back home.  Luckily, within 24 hours of my own arrival, my luggage manages to catch up with me.  It made it to Chicago with me on Asiana Airlines without problem.  Even though 2 hours between flights in Korea is enough time for me to take a half hour bus ride between the 2 airports, check-in, clear immigration and security and still have almost an hour in the duty free….2 hours in Chicago O’hare only allows enough time to rush to make my connecting flight with 4 minutes to spare and inadequate time to make a luggage transfer (even though it was checked through).  I can’t say that I found Korea security one bit less determined than US security…..in fact, it seemed as thorough or more so and decidedly more efficient.  No doubt, this lack of efficiency has no relation to United Airlines’ recent financial woes…. but I digress….

Upon return, I discovered that some people were actually reading this blog…..Cool! and there were even some questions…

The first question seemed to arise about the prizes awarded in the finals in Korea.  It is perhaps interesting for many to learn of the rules used in most large international competitions.  Perhaps the following will explain why some divisions had 1st and 3rd place awards without a 2nd place..and other initially seemingly unusual results.  Key in these results are the following rules governing the final round of the competion:

• The final round is scored 0 to 22.  Judges may choose to use fractions of points (i.e. 13.5).  In order for a candidate to qualify for a prize, the following minimum scores apply:
• Minimum of 16 for 3^rd prize
• Minimum of 18 for 2^nd prize
• Minimum of 20 for 1^st prize
• The high and low scores are omitted prior to computing the judges scores.  No rounding of scores is allowed (i.e. a score of 17.99 qualifies a candidate for a maximum prize of 3rd)

These rules mean that if the top 3 scoring candidates do not have one who has a score above 20, then there is no first place.  Likewise, if the top candidate has a score equal to or above 20 and the second candidate has a score that equals less than 18, then the prizes awarded can only be 1 and 3.

This scoring system is intended to allow the top candidates in competition to be identified while also preserving a ‘minimum standard’ which means that if the best performer in a given year is deemed to be below the considered standard performance level for a given prize, then an award will not be given.  At times, this proves to be controversial.  When competitors are close and the result is that no first prize is given, the jury is trying to send the message that the level of performers this year is below the level expected of an international solo winner.  In other words, in a solo competition at this level, it is not enough to be as good or better than your current competitors, but you must prove yourself to be at a high level based upon a perceived standard accross the recent years.

This is always an incredibly complicated and often controversial decision, but the intention is to make a first prize in a true International Solo Competition have a quality implication that is consistent.  In every area, a given year may have a fluctuation in quality.  The intention of the jury, to the best of it’s abilities, is not only to compare competitors to each other, but also to hold them to a minimum standard for each prize level. 

In given years, this results in decisions that may be puzzling for outsiders.  For those who watch these events carefully – and there are surprisingly many – these results are predictable and represent a competition that comes to represent a quality standard.  The more consistent that measure of quality, the more coveted a prize in such a competition.

Posted by Jeff Funderburk at 11:19 PM | Permalink

Aug 20 Grand Final and results

Sunday evening featured a concert of first prize winners with the Jeju Symphony. These performers competed for the overall Grand Prize of the 2006 Competition. During the concert, the following performers competed:
Hiroyuki Kurogane, Bass Trombone performed Eugene Bozza's 'New Orleans'
Sergey Akimov, Horn , performed Malcomb Arnold's Horn Concerto No. 2?
Kent Eschelman, Tuba, performed Eugene Bozza's 'Concertino'

After a very close score, Hiroyuki Kurogane was awarded the Grand Prize.
Prize winners for the week were:

Trumpet
Kazuaki Kikumoto (Japan), 2nd prize
Chung-Mom Ho (Taiwan), 3rd prize

Horn
Sergy Akimov (Belarus), 1st prize
Andras Chlebovics (Hungary), 2nd prize
Jano Benyus (Hungary), 3rd prize

Tenor Trombone
Mattieu Dubray (France), 2nd prize
Jozsef Voros (Hungary), 3rd prize

Bass Trombone
Hiroyuki Kurogane (Japan), 1st prize
Matyas Veer (Hungary), 2nd prize (tie)
Nando Nemeti (Hungary), 2nd prize (tie)

Euphonium
Ayano Iwakuro (Japan), 2nd prize
Ryunosuke Abe (Japan), 3rd prize

Tuba
Kent Eshelman (US), 1st prize
Mun Zee-woong (Korea), 3rd prize

Brass Quintet
Lituus Quintet (Hungary), 3rd prize

Congratulations to all participants! It was a week of wonderful musical performances in every round of every competition!

The next International Brass Competition in Jeju will be in August of 2008.

Posted by Jeff Funderburk at 11:11 PM | Permalink

Aug 19th FINALS!

Today was a very tough day of judging. Five euphonium candidates and three tuba candidates had advanced to the final round of competition.
The euphoniums performed the Kino Concertino by Kasatti. Kino in this case refers not to 'cinema' but rather to the Polish meaning of the word Kino which means 'devil' True to its name, it is a devilishly difficult work that is also and exciting showpiece for the euphonium. Following 5 very solid performances, the judges decision was to award 2 prizes.

Second Prize: Ayano Iwakuro
Third Prize: Ryunosuke Abe

The tubas performed the beautiful and taxing standard of the repertoire, the Bozza Concertino. Again, all 3 performers gave excellent performances with the results of the judges voting being two prizes awarded.

First Prize: Kent Eschelman
Third Prize: Moon Ji-woong

Congratulations are in order for all participants. It was a most difficult competition to judge this time because all competitors were of such comparable abilities!

Posted by Jeff Funderburk at 11:09 PM | Permalink

Following a 7 am judges meeting, the tuba/euphonium jury had a long day ahead.  The second rounds for both tuba and euphonium were scheduled back to back. With 15 euphoniums and 7 tubists, it was a full day.  All performers played very well and scores were very close. 

Perhaps of interest is how the jury scores each of these rounds.  During the first round, a simple yes or no vote of the jury was taken.  More than 50% yes votes was required to proceed to the second round.  In the second round, Jurors gave scores between 0 and 22.  Scores were computed by throwing out the highest and lowest scores.  After this, the remaining scores were averaged.  A score of 18 or higher was needed in order to proceed to the final round.  Scores were not rounded up or down. 

During the final round, the same 0–22 point range will be used.  In this case, in order for a candidate to qualify for a first place, a minimum score of 20 is required, for a second place, a minimus of 18 and for a third prize, the minimum is 16.  In the event that no player achieves an average score of 20 or more, then there will be no first prize.  Assuming that the minimum scores are attained, then the prizes are awarded to the top three candidates.

First today was the euphonium second round.  The required selection was the Butterworth Partita.  Additionally, performers played either the first movement of Stevens Soliloquy or the first 2 movements of the Nilsen 4 Lyric Pieces.  Advancing to the final round was:

Hidenori Arai
Yuko Kamata
Ayano Iwakuro
Ryunosuke Abe
Kyohei Ando

The second round of tuba performances featured the Madsen Sonata movement 1 as the required piece.  Additionally was either the Penderecki Capriccio or the Gregson Alarum.  Advancing to the final round are:

Moon Ji-woong
Kent Eschelman
Yoo Kyoung-suk

The final round of competition for tuba and euphonium will be on August 18.  The euphoniums will be performing the Kassatti Kino Concertino while the tubists will perform Bozza Concertino.

Posted by Jeff Funderburk at 10:35 PM | Permalink

A sunny day greets us as we wake on this, the day that Korea celebrates its independence from Japan.  The tuba and euphonium solo competitions have this day off.  Later in the afternoon will be a parade, a grand celebration concert and a banquet.  Many, if not most, of the competitors will spend a bit of today at one of the great beaches that line one side of the island.  This is also a great opportunity for many to explore some of the wonderful cultural heritage exhibits on Jeju Island.

I suppose I should note that not everyone has the day off.  In addition to the tuba and euphonium solo competitions, there are also solo competitions for trumpet, horn, trombone and bass trombone as well as a brass quintet competition.  Today’s schedule features the first round of the tenor trombone competiton, the second round for horn and the second round for trumpet.

Late this afternoon, all participants, performers and jury members are featured in the parade as well as many local performance groups including traditional Korean Folk Music Ensembles.  Also on the island at the moment is the Asian Marching Show Band competition which will be featured.

Overall, this is one of the more interesting days of this event for a foreigner, because the evening always features a performance of traditional Korean drumming/dance.  This is an unbelieveable pagent of colors, sound and generally amazing feats.  Hopefully I’ll have nice pictures for you in a following blog!

Posted by Jeff Funderburk at 10:34 PM | Permalink

Monday morning dawned another beautiful day in Jeju.  Not a big surprise, seems most days here at this time of year are beautiful!

This was the first round of the Tuba Solo Competition.  For the first round, all competitors were required to perform the Vaughan Willliams Tuba Concerto movement 1 and they could choose to perform movement 2 of either the Gregson Concerto or the Arutunian Sonata.  Following a series of very fine performances, the following performers were advanced to the second round:
Mun Ji-Woong
Yusuke Hashimoto
Harumi Baba
Kasumi Terayama
Meng-Hsin Tsai
Kent Eschelman
Yoo Kyoung-Suk

There will now be a couple of days pause in the Euphonium and Tuba Competition until Wednesday the 16th when each will have the second round of competition.  In the meantime, there is time for piano rehearsals and some R&R for everyone.  The beaches are beckoning!!

Posted by Jeff Funderburk at 10:34 PM | Permalink

Following a very rainy morning, Saturday evening (August 12) kicked off the evening concerts for this year’s Cheju (Jeju) music festival.  Following a very fine display from a Japanese Majorette group, the George Solti Brass Ensemble from Hungary began the evening’s musical festivities at the seaside pavillion.  Of particular note was the ensemble’s rich blend and very high performance standard.  The ensemble was conducted by tuba virtuoso Roland Szentpali.  At the same time….some distance away…the Chestnut Brass quintet was giving its first performance….tough choice!!

Sunday morning (August 13) began at 9 am with the first round of the euphonium competition.

25 participants were involved in the first round.  The required selection for the first round was the Johann  Hummel Fantasy arranged by Robert Childs and Philip Wilby.  Additionally, each competitor selected one from the following 2 works:  Capuzzi Andante and Rondo or Thom Ritter George Sonata.  All but 4 participants selected the Andante and Rondo.

Fifteen participants were selected to continue to the second round. The level of competition was VERY high and the consistency with which the performers played was really remarkable.  The contestants advancing to the second round were:
Hidenori Arai
Mai Sunada
Yusadu Katsuta
Yuko Kamata
Ayano Iwakuro
Taeko Shizu
Yumi Fujisawa
Satoshi Oyama
Ayumi Nakada
Yuya Muramatsu
Ryunosuke Abe
Azumi Komuro
Kyohei Ando
Takao Miyake
Junko Nomi

These participants will perform in the second round which will be held on August 16.  It is a very advanced group of performers and promises to be a very close competition!

Posted by Jeff Funderburk at 10:34 PM | Permalink

After a good night’s sleep in a real bed, things are looking up.  This photo at 6 am shows the beautiful weather greeting all of us who have just a bit of jetlag (Korea…14 hours ahead of Iowa time).  Unfortunately, by 8 it has become rainy and overcast.  There have been 3 typhoons working in this general region lately, so some wet weather is possible. 

Today will be organizational.  The participants will draw later in the day to determine their order of performance.  Going through the booklet I see that there are 28 euphoniumist registered for the solo competition (including UNI’s own Joe Kopacz).  Surprisingly, this time there are only 14 tubists registered.  The judges will meet at some point today to go over the rules of competition and organize for the beginning of the performances in the morning. 

Otherwise, it should be a fairly relaxed day today as final members of ensembles and judges arrive.  Concerts will be featuring many ensembles including: The Chestnut Brass Quintet, Steven Mead with Sound-Inn-Brass, Georgi Solti Brass lead by Roland Szentpali, and The Spanish Brass.  The days will be filled with various rounds of competitions for all brass soloists and brass quintet and evenings will feature up to 3 concerts per evening in various locations around the island.

Posted by Jeff Funderburk at 10:33 PM | Permalink

Well, the trip to Korea is off and running. After a departure from the Cedar Rapids airport that left the gate on time (6:55) only to move into position and wait for a 30 minute delay....I arrived safely in Chicago to await the international flight to Seoul's Incheon airport .... departure time..1 am.

But never fear, there's always a restaurant or pub to keep you distracted in Ohare, right? Well, at the International Terminal in Ohare, things are somewhat limited to begin with, but additionally, the pub and most restaurants close at 9:30. Thus leaving only 3 and a half hours for contemplation. Lord knows the 15 hour flight to Seoul won't allow enough time for that!

So the first challenge is to locate a gourmet meal in the world's largest airport. Being the professional tubist that I am, there are standards to be met. With a bit of effort, and some leg work, at last a fitting dining experience was had!

Luckily, everything went fine boarding the flight and we were off on time.

 As a pleasant surprise, I also discovered that Jay Krush, tubist of the Chestnut Brass Quintet was on the same flight. Some lively conversation and general 'catching up' made the wait go more quickly.

The flight went well, no real problems. That is unless you count the apparent 10 or so attempted hijackings which occured while we were enroute....

Following arrival at Seoul's Incheon airport at 5am local time, I had the pleasure to be met by an old friend and tubist Sung Youl Gie who has just completed his first year as principal tubist with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. He was kind enough to meet me at the airport and transport me the 30 minutes or so to Gimpo Airport where I could wait until 10am for my flight to Jeju. We had a very nice breakfast and conversation to catch up on the couple of years since we last saw each other.

So, there's the beauty of 'makin' it' and traveling the world. Somehow the reality of 24 hours of travel just doesn't quite match up the to 'romantic' thoughts. That said, it still is a lot of fun! Just, no one ever really tells you how much drudge work is also involved. Luckily, this time I'm not hauling a tuba! That's when the real fun starts!!

Posted by Jeff Funderburk at 10:31 PM | Permalink

Well, it’s time for the 4th Brass Competition in Cheju, Korea!!!

I’ve had the honor to be involved with the International Brass Competition in Cheju, Korea since it began 7 years ago.  This is a top flight solo competition for each of the brass instruments and brass quintet.  Every other year(even numbers), leading brass soloists from around the world have travelled to the beautiful paradise of Jeju City on the lovely island known as the ‘Hawaii of Korea’.  The island is INCREDIBLE!  The performance level is AMAZING!!!!!

Besides the competition there are 2–3 free concerts every evening of the event which feature world class performing groups.  This year will feature groups including Chestnut Brass, Spanish Brass and the Sounding Brass from Austria featuring soloist Steven Mead.   It is a wonderful experience that I am looking forward to beginning in a few days.

Check here for details of progress of this year’s competition which will begin on August 12, 2006.

Jeff Funderburk

Posted by Jeff Funderburk at 10:20 PM | Permalink