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PLAYING WITH THE BEST:

World famous trumpeter visits Geneva High School

GENEVA - It's typical for a high school concert band to work on various composers' music, but it's something special when they get to meet - and play alongside - the person who wrote a piece they're learning. That's the privilege Geneva High School musicians had Friday when world-renowned trumpeter Allen Vizzutti spent time coaching and playing with them before appearing with the Syracuse Symphony as part of the Geneva Concerts series Saturday at the Smith Opera House.

Vizzutti is a professor of trumpet at the University of Washington School of Music and a graduate of the Eastman School of Music. He has played in 35-plus countries and every state, appearing with various artists and ensembles such as The NBC Tonight Show Band, flugelhorn player/composer Chuck Mangione, and the U.S. Army Blues Jazz Ensemble. “We always try to look for outreach opportunities for students,” said Lisa Van Dusen, of Geneva Concerts.

The band had been practicing Vizzutti's American Jazz Suite for the past month, and before they began playing Friday, Vizzutti introduced himself with a couple of variations of a trumpet solo. His fingers were flying with his first run. The second time around, he complicated things a bit. “If you looked me up on YouTube, you may have seen me do this,” he said, slowly turning his trumpet upside down as he played. During his third run, Vizzutti removed his valve hand and played the solo with one finger from his slide hand. “What you're dealing with is a trumpet geek with too much time on his hands,” he joked.

Vizzutti talked with the students about music's impact and the communication it can foster between people. “The good thing that can happen is that you can help people to feel good,” he said, urging them to explore their interests and see where they can take them. Then Vizzutti and the band got down to business as he called trumpet soloist Eliot Heaton to join him up front. As the practice went on, Vizzutti urged the students to feel the music as they played. “You need to learn to play with your body and soul, then you can build your technique,” he said. “If you play like a wuss, you're going to sound like a wuss.”

Vizzutti and Heaton took turns with the trumpet solo written for the piece, turning it into a duet every now and then. Afterward, Heaton confessed he was nervous about playing with Vizzutti because he's pretty new to the trumpet. The violin is his instrument. Vizzutti's visit was good for the band, said Heaton. “It will probably motivate a lot of kids because of how good he sounded,” he said.

Band director Steve Palumbo agreed. “Anytime you work with a musician of that caliber, you tend to rise to the occasion,” he said. “It makes you better and it makes [the music] fun.” Vizzutti's insights were also helpful for learning how to play the piece, Palumbo said. “[The students] definitely learned where they need to be and what they need to do to get there,” he said. Vizzutti said he has taught trumpet for more than 30 years, partly to help “keep music alive.” “It's one of the most important things that we as humans have,” he said. “I just want to focus on perpetuating that.”

This series is made possible, in part, by a grant from the Williams Family Foundation, by a continuing subscription from Hobart and William Smith Colleges, by a grant from the Wyckoff Family Foundation, and by the friends of Geneva Concerts. For additional information contact info@genevaconcerts.org.

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