LU welcomes trumpeter, Ronald Romm

Ronald Romm, a preeminent trumpeter and clinician, will be on the Lamar University campus Nov. 7 – 9 as a guest artist in the Mary Morgan Moore Department of Music. Romm will give a presentation to Lamar students, lead master classes for majors and coach a student brass quintet. His visit will conclude with a recital featuring Lamar students, and his wife, pianist Avis Romm, a Steinway artist.

All events are free and open to the public.

Invited to campus by Brian Shook, assistant professor of trumpet at Lamar, Romm is a founding member of the Canadian Brass, an internationally acclaimed performing brass quintet. He has appeared worldwide on the stages of most major concert venues, music festivals and international music conferences. Since his retirement from the Canadian Brass, he and Avis present clinics and workshops, and perform duo recitals and special pops shows with symphony orchestras. Romm is also professor of trumpet at The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

“Ronald Romm is one of the world’s best trumpet players,” said Shook. “As a founding member of the Canadian Brass, he helped pioneer the popularity of brass quintet performance around the globe. It’s an honor to have Ron visit Lamar and share his expertise with our students.”

Romm earned his bachelor and master’s degree at The Juilliard School, where he studied with William Vacchiano, legendary teacher and former principal trumpet of the New York Philharmonic.

After establishing himself as a successful freelance musician in New York City, Romm joined the newly formed Canadian Brass in 1971.

In June of 2000, he retired from the group after participating in well over 4,500 concerts, 60 recordings, numerous television specials, videos and hundreds of master classes.

He has performed with major orchestras and with the greatest living conductors in the world, sharing the stage in live performance and recorded CDs with leading artists including Wynton Marsalis, Arturo Sandoval, Jon Faddis, Doc Severinsen, and brass performers from the Boston Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra and Berlin Philharmonic.

The schedule for public events of Romm’s visit to Lamar is as follows:

• Friday, Nov. 8, 2:15 - 4:45 p.m.

  - Master class with Lamar students in the Landes Auditorium, Galloway Business Building, Room 101.

• Saturday, Nov. 9, 1-2:30 p.m.

  - Brass quintet rehearsal and master class with Lamar students in the Rothwell Recital Hall, located in the Simmons Music Building

• Saturday, Nov. 9, 7:30 p.m.

  - The Ronald and Avis Romm Trumpet and Piano Duo in concert in the Rothwell Recital Hall, located in the Simmons Music Building.

  Reception to follow.

“It will be a real treat for our students to have the opportunity to learn from and perform with Ron,” said Shook.

“It’s always been a dream of mine to work with him.

The very first CD I ever purchased was “High, Bright, Light, and Clear,” by the Canadian Brass.

Ron’s big message is to enjoy life, enjoy music and help others.

That’s his main drive in all that he does.”

Shook and Romm are writing a book together based on Romm’s musical experiences. Lamar students will also assist with research for the book, for which Shook received a Research Enrichment Grant funded through the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs.

For more information, call the Mary Morgan Moore Department of Music at (409) 880-8144 or visit lamar.edu/music.