How many currently active brass quintets have reached 40 years? Not many, the only three that I know of are the American Brass Quintet (1960), the St. Louis Brass Quintet (1964) and the Potsdam Brass Quintet (1968), the faculty brass quintet of the Crane School of Music at the State University of New York College at Potsdam.

This past weekend they celebrated this milestone with a special event that I was honored to be a part of. Every past member of the group was present which in itself is something major to note; not every group could pull that feat together. On trumpet we had founding members Gordon Mathie and John Schorge, Michael Tunnel, John Ellis, and Jim Madeja; on horn founding member Roy Schaberg, John Ericson, and Kelly Drifmeyer, on trombone founding member Jerry Davis, John Upchurch, Richard Cryder, and Mark Hartman, and on tuba founding member Kevin Ladd, Peter Popeil, and Charles Guy. Of those listed the only student member was Kevin Ladd; all remaining members were Crane faculty, which was and is certainly a part of the success of the group.

I was in the group for three years, from the fall of 1998 to the summer of 2001. We were quite active those years. Our best portrait in that period is this one, with Ellis, Hartman, and Madeja on the back row and Ericson and Popeil on the front. We are the ensemble that recorded their Art of Brass CD, which was their fourth recording. More on that in a little bit.

I arrived late on Thursday (actually, very early Friday). Friday was a beautiful morning. When I went out for breakfast I heard a familiar voice on the car radio, that of Todd Moe of North Country Public Radio, who had been a neighbor when we lived in Potsdam. He was conducting an interview with three current and former members of the PBQ, Roy Schaberg, Mark Hartman, and Charles Guy, which went very well except for one minor thing from Mark that we all had a good laugh about later, where he referred to the group as being “fairly legendary.”

I had two rehearsals on Friday, one for my solo performance and one with the PBQ past and present brass choir. At that rehearsal they unveiled hats that had been specially made only for former members. Not available in stores! I will treasure the hat, a great memory.

Back to Friday, I also enjoyed lunch with several PBQ members at the Chinese buffet (wish that had been built when we lived there) and also took a couple of great walks. We lived in Potsdam for three years; my hotel was very near our old apartment. It was great to experience the place again.

Friday night was the first event, the performance by the PBQ as soloists on Shadowcatcher by Eric Ewazen, a work for brass quintet and wind ensemble. They sounded great! I was honestly very impressed. I knew the group was good when I was in it but in a sense never really “heard” the group as I could only experience it in recordings or from inside the ensemble, a place where you are very aware of the inevitable small issues of any live performance. With the perspective of seven years away from the group and hearing the group live in an audience, their playing was quite impressive. World class brass playing in a small town in northern New York that I had been a part of.

Crane really is a special place unlike any other music school in the United States. SUNY Potsdam itself is a small college with less than 5,000 students, Potsdam in a fairly remote corner of northern New York state, and the music program is large with over 500 music majors, mostly undergraduate music education students, with the facilities to support a great music program. In 40 years the Potsdam Brass Quintet has had a great influence on brass teaching in New York state, one that cannot be underestimated. At one time more than half of all music educators in New York were Crane grads and the numbers are still high. The continued touring by the PBQ (normally twice a year) builds on the strong foundation already laid.

Saturday was the big event. Scott Bacon of Siegfried’s Call had to arrive late so I started the day giving what was to have been his session, focusing on horn design issues and choices. After hearing part of the session by Michael Tunnel I warmed up to be ready for the past members recital. I played Canto Serioso by Carl Nielsen and the Fantasie, Op. 2 of Franz Strauss, both by memory, and by all reports I am pleased to say it went well. Of interest to hornists reading this Tunnel performed shortly before me a work on Corno di Caccia, a very high horn concerto by Rollig from the Baroque period (this instrument is in short similar to a Flugelhorn but wrapped like a horn, and is useful for horn parts that lie higher than can be played comfortably on a descant horn). After a quick turnaround for lunch I gave my “Playing High Horn” presentation which was followed by the PBQ past and present in recital.

This recital was in three sections. First, the current PBQ performed music of Claude Le Jeune, Anthony Plog, and Morley Calvert. They sounded great again; I believe some of these selections are slated to be recorded soon for their next CD. They were followed by a surprise, the PBQ of 1971-77 together again for three old standards, performed quite well (I hope to sound that good when I am well into retirement!). Finally we all performed the Fanfare from La Peri by Paul Dukas as a large ensemble; a great closer for the concert, played well and most memorable for all.

After testing a few horns I was off to the banquet. While there we posed for photos several times, the most memorable for me personally was this one, of the four horn professors at the Crane School of Music, nearly 50 years of horn professors! From left you have myself, Perry Yaw, Roy Schaberg, and Kelly Drifmeyer. I actually first met Perry Yaw at a concert when I interviewed for the job, he was the first horn teacher at Crane, joining the faculty I believe shortly before 1960. His face was a familiar one to me, he retired in Potsdam and attended (and still attends) many events at Crane when I was there. Next we have Roy Schaberg, whom I found to be extremely supportive to me, leading the studio for 30 years. And finally Kelly Drifmeyer–we go way back, she was actually a freshman at Eastman when I was a grad student there. The studio is in good hands.

Back to the banquet, another highlight was the announcement of a new brass quintet scholarship at Crane funded by a generous gift from Arthur Frackenpohl. The name of Art Frackenpohl is well known among brass players. As noted earlier, we recorded a CD of our favorites among his works and arrangements for brass when I was in the group. That said, before I arrived in Potsdam I had assumed that he must have been a brass player. Actually, he was not, he was instead a class piano and theory teacher at Crane (and an organist) who took a special interest in composing and arranging for brass instruments, an interest that has made a large impact in brass playing.

The day ended with a performance by the Canadian Brass. When they came to Potsdam in 1999 we played several multiple brass quintet pieces with them but it was not in our best venue, as Hosmer Hall was being gutted. I had last heard them three summers ago in Brevard, again in another less-than-ideal venue. This weekend, hearing them yet again, they sounded the best that I have heard. It was great hearing them in a good acoustic, and the playing by trumpet Joe Bergstaller (an ASU grad) and horn Jeff Nelsen was especially impressive. If you have not heard them in a while, the Canadian Brass is certainly worth checking out again. The current PBQ performed one work with them, a Gabrielli transcription by Art Frackenpohl, which sounded great as well. The Canadian Brass gave a special acknowledgment the PBQ, noting that they were only up to 38 years together, and they also very warmly acknowledged Art Frackenpohl, who was a principal Classical arranger for the group.

Sunday morning saw the final event, a Crane alumni breakfast. While I am former faculty, really I also feel like an alumni in many ways. It was great to see yet again the faces of these friends, colleagues, mentors, and role models.

After the breakfast I had the time to drop by our old church. I recognized more people than I expected to recognize after seven years away, it was a great finale to the visit for me. Time worked out perfectly to grab a quick lunch, buy a couple magazines at the hobby shop, and say goodbye to Potsdam. I hope to be back sooner than the 50th anniversary!

As I have run on this long already, I know that a final question that could be asked of me is do I play in a brass quintet now? The answer is no. Besides some very limited quintet work in Brevard a couple summers ago I have not played in a brass quintet since the PBQ years. I do miss it at times I must admit. At ASU the brass faculty has lunch every week (how many brass faculties can say they do that?) but there has not been a faculty brass quintet in roughly fifteen years. Someday I would love to play in one again, and I do certainly recommend highly brass quintet playing to my students.

UPDATE 2019! The PBQ has celebrated 50 years now and we now have a Faculty Brass Quintet at ASU, performing this fall for the first time since 1985! Great to be back playing in a quintet.