February 14, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, Ore. … Join “Four-tissimo,” a group of low brass players from the Oregon Symphony as they present an evening of eclectic works ranging from the Baroque to ragtime and jazz on Wednesday, March 19, from 6 to 8 p.m. at BridgePort BrewPub. Chamber Music on Tap, the “listener-friendly” chamber music series sponsored by BridgePort Brewing Company, is presented by Fortissimo, an Oregon Symphony volunteer organization. The BridgePort BrewPub is located at 1313 N.W. Marshall.
The players, Oregon Symphony Principal Trombone, Aaron LaVere, Symphony Principal Tuba JáTtik Clark, Symphony Bass Trombone Alan Pierce, and trombonist Ron Babcock will announce their selections from the stage, and will draw from works of various composers including Bach, Bruckner, Gabrielli, Brahms, Haydn, Debussy, Joplin, Serocki and Tomasi.
Chamber Music on Tap is held upstairs in the BridgePort BrewPub's Heritage Room every third Wednesday of each month through May. The concerts provide audience members the opportunity to interact with musicians and socialize while sampling the brewery's homemade pizza and handcrafted, award-winning ales in the pub's unique building, a 100-year-old former rope factory.
Four-tissimo will perform on Wednesday, March 19, at 6 p.m. at BridgePort BrewPub. Tickets are $6 for Fortissimo members, $10 for the general public and may be purchased in advance at the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office (923 S.W. Washington), Monday - Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or charged by phone at 503-228-1353 or (800) 228-7343. Tickets also may be purchased at the door, if available. All proceeds from the evening benefit the Oregon Symphony.
Recently appointed Principal Trombone of the Oregon Symphony, Aaron LaVere is emerging as one of the leading brass players of his generation. His most recent work with the New World Symphony had him performing under the batons of Michael Tilson Thomas, Hans Vonk, Sergiu Comissiona, Vladimir Spivakov, Don Runnicles, and Hugh Wolff. Mr. LaVere has worked with the Detroit Symphony under Neeme Jarvi, the San Antonio Symphony under Christopher Wilkins, the Kalamazoo Symphony, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Ann Arbor Symphony, and the Flint Symphony.
A frequent soloist, Mr. LaVere has appeared throughout the Midwest, performing the Grondahl Concerto, the David Concerto, and the Jacob Concerto. As a chamber musician, Mr. LaVere has performed with the Detroit Chamber Winds, the Detroit Symphony Brass Quintet, the Michigan Chamber Brass, and the New World Brass Quintet.
A native of Flint, Michigan, Mr. LaVere began his musical studies at the age of nine in the public schools. His education took him to Interlochen, and on to the University of Michigan, where he earned both a BM and a MM in performance. He has studied with Jay Friedman, Sam Pilafian, James DeSano, Milt Stevens, Mark Lawrence, Ian Bousefield, and H. Dennis Smith, and received an invitation to the Tanglewood Music Festival. As a member of the Pacific Music Festival, Mr. LaVere toured throughout Asia performing under Christoph Eschenbach. At the National Orchestral Institute in Washington DC, he worked under the batons of Marin Alsop, Maximiano Valdes, and Peter Bay.
Ron Babcock received his Bachelor of Arts at Louisiana Tech University, a Master of Music in trombone performance at the University of Oklahoma and his Doctorate in trombone performance at the University of North Texas. Before moving to Portland in 1988, Dr. Babcock was an active performer and teacher in northern Texas and Louisiana. He performed with the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra and organized as well as performed with the Mid South Trombone Ensemble and the Shreveport Sackbut Consort. As a specialist in the performance of early trombone literature, Mr. Babcock has played alto sackbut under the direction of several well-known conductors including Christopher Hogwood.
As an active member of the International Trombone Association, Dr. Babcock has written articles for the ITA Journal. He has also been a performer and clinician at several of the ITA’s International Trombone Festivals. Dr. Babcock is presently Associate Professor of Trombone at Portland State University. Recent local solo appearances include the world premiere of Klaus Cornell’s trombone concerto, “The Legend of Mary’s Peak” with the Portland Chamber Orchestra. One of Dr. Babcock’s current projects is the organization and direction of the Northwest Trombone Ensemble. The group of professional trombonists from around the Northwest is currently working on a CD that will feature large trombone ensemble literature.
JáTtik Clark is currently in his fourth season as Principal Tuba of the Oregon Symphony. He is also the Applied Tuba Instructor at Portland State University. He holds a Master of Music degree in Performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and a Bachelors of Music from the University of South Carolina.
Mr. Clark has been a soloist and participant in several music festivals
including The Grand Teton Music Festival, The Chamber Music Society of
Lincoln Center, The Earnest Bloch Summer Music Festival, Cascade Music
Festival, Brevard Music Festival, The Oregon Bach Festival, Eastern Music
Festival, and Chamber Music Northwest. Recently, Mr. Clark performed the
Vaughan Williams Concerto for Bass Tuba as a featured soloist with the
Oregon and Vancouver (WA) Symphonies. Mr. Clark is a member of Phi Mu
Alpha Sinfonia Music Fraternity, Pi Kappa Lambda Honor Music Fraternity,
and the International Tuba-Euphonium Society.
Alan's involvement with music extends far beyond just playing the trombone. With his Alan Pierce Piano Service, for example, he has been tuning pianos since 1976. He tunes for recording studios, concerts, local artists, and even has had the honor of tuning for James DePreist, Norman Leyden, and Murry Sidlin. In addition, he has taught music in the Portland Public Schools, he likes to compose as a creative outlet, and he makes Maestro DePreist's and Maestro Sidlin's conducting batons.
Above all, Alan is pleased and proud to be a member of the Oregon Symphony and feels privileged to be involved in such a high level of music making. He joined the Orchestra while just a 17 year-old high school senior, having just played in the Portland Youth Philharmonic and having won scholarships to Tanglewood and the National Music Camp in Interlochen, Michigan. He even toured for 84 weeks with the New York Metropolitan Opera National Company.