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Biography
One of the most
well-known trombone educators of the twentieth
century, Emory Remington left a widespread
legacy for trombonists in the United States and
around the world. His reputation and teaching
methods influenced other trombone teachers'
pedagogical approaches to trombone performance.
One of his most popular implementations was the
use of the large-group trombone ensemble.
Remington used the trombone ensemble in his
studio as a method of instilling and improving
musical and ensemble playing skills in his
students.
Born in 1891, Emory
Remington studied trombone with his father, but
credited his early music training to his singing
experience in the choir at St. Andrews Episcopal
Church in New York. In 1917, he joined the Navy
and was assigned to the orchestra at a training
station near Chicago. After returning from his
successful military travels, Remington joined
the Eastman Theatre Orchestra and then the
faculty at the Eastman School of Music in 1922.
He began playing in the Rochester Philharmonic
Orchestra in 1923 where he remained for
twenty-six years. Remington's entire
professional career was spent teaching at
Eastman.
Shortly before his
death in December of 1971, Remington served on
the faculty of the very first National Trombone
Workshop. The last day of that first Workshop
was called Emory Remington Day, and Remington
conducted a trombone ensemble established in his
honor. Affectionately nicknamed "the Chief" by
his students, Remington had a personal quality
about him that encouraged excellence and a
special devotion from his students. "He loved
music. He loved that most noble instrument, the
trombone. But above all, he loved his students."
Reportedly, he never missed a concert in which a
student of his performed.
On a number of
occasions, he was honored as a teacher by his
students, colleagues, and various professional
organizations. In 1991, honoring the hundredth
year of his birth, the Workshop was dedicated to
him and entitled "An Emory Remington Centennial
Celebration." The Workshop, hosted by John
Marcellus at the Eastman School of Music,
included many of Remington's former students,
quite a few of whom were influential ITA
members. Each year at the annual Workshop, a
trombone choir was selected to perform as a
featured ensemble. From 1971 to 1986, Romersa
selected and featured trombone choirs based on
submitted tapes or recommendations from close
friends.
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