Matthew Russo, trombonist & educator

Instructor of Trombone, University of Connecticut

Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

  • l’histoire du soldat

    On August 5, the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival presents Stravinsky’s L’histoire du soldat, conducted by Ransom Wilson, choreographed by Katie Stevinson-Nollet and the Full Force Dance theatre, with narration by John McDonough. The Soldier’s Tale was written in 1918 and features a septet of violin, double bass, clarinet, bassoon, cornet, trombone and percussion. This small…

  • dance suite from “pariser tanzbuch”

    Thursday Night’s Young Artist Performer Series at the Norfolk Festival features the Excalibur Brass Quintet performing an arrangement of dances from Pierre Attaingnant’s collection:”Pariser Tanzbuch.” The collection was published in 1530, and features dozens of early renaissance-style dances. This arrangement by Allan Dean, Professor of Trumpet at Yale, features is a collection of several dances in…

  • morning music

    This Saturday at 10:30 AM in the Music Shed at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, the Excalibur Brass Quintet will perform David Sampson’s Morning Music. Morning Music was written as a reaction to the violent events of the Greensboro Massacre which claimed Sampson’s brother. The twelve minute work seems to cycle through various stages of…

  • set of four ives songs

    Tonight the Excalibur Brass will open tonight’s 7:30p concert with a quick set of Four Songs of Charles Ives. The first two songs in the set, On the Counter and The Side Show were written in 1920, and 1921 respectively, while the final two of the set were written earlier in life. Slow March, was written when…

  • colchester fantasy

    Excalibur Brass Quintet to perform Eric Ewazen’s Colchester Fantasy to open this Thursday’s Young Artists’ Performance Series at 7:30pm, July 14, 2011 in the historic Music Shed on the Ellen Battell Stoeckel estate in Norfolk, CT. Those interested may stream the concert at the link below. The concert is free and open to the public for…

  • ludwig maurer – three pieces

    Tonight the Excalibur Brass Quintet will perform Ludwig Maurer’s Three Pieces for brass quintet. Additional performances of Haydn Divertimento, and Haydn String Quartet op. 76 , no. 1. The performance is at 7:30pm, and the concert can be streamed live by clicking the link below. Stream it Live!

  • norfolk chamber music festival

    I’ve made it to Norfolk. After Saturday night’s final performance of “Man of La Mancha” I helped strike the pit, hopped into my car and drove the 3+ hours to Connecticut. I slept for about 6 hours and then started the cycle of laundry, cleaning my trombone (no sand thanks!) and spending some quality time…

  • one day more…

    I’m nearing the end of the road here in Chatham, MA. Here’s a few things about my experience since I came here 13 days ago: The ocean reflects a ton of light, an alarming amount of light, and it makes my room roast. All this light makes it very difficult to stay asleep in the…

  • happy birthday to jessica

    There are an alarming number of birthdays here at the Monomoy Theatre. Just the other day we were celebrating the director, Alan Rust’s birthday, and the next day was a member of the scene shop’s birthday. And today it’s actor/stage manager Jessica’s birthday! Hurrah! In between shows today, so this will be brief! Two nights…

  • second week special

    Tonight starts the second and final week of Monomoy’s run of “Man of La Mancha.” I’m pretty excited to see what the second week will bring in terms of spontaneity and surprise. I think that’s why I love playing musicals, because I firmly believe music should be a unique experience every time. Music Theatre is…

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