|
Biography
Charlie grew up in Du
Quoin, Illinois and got his early musical training
there. He started playing at the age of ten. His
first teacher was Charles Archibald. His studies
continued when he won a coloring contest sponsored
by a local music store and received free lessons
with the resident trumpet teacher, Don Lemasters.
Subsequently, he studied with Mel Siener, Band
Director at Du Quoin Township High School, whose
encouragement had a profound influence on Charlie
becoming a professional musician. While in high
school he also received instruction in St. Louis,
Missouri from Edward Brauer who was a member of
the staff of the NBC radio studio. His studies
culminated at the Juilliard School, from which he
graduated in 1962. There his mentor was William
Vacchiano, then principal trumpet of the New York
Philharmonic. (Mr. Vacchiano passed away on
September 19, 2005 at the age of 93.)
Charlie’s 25 years as principal trumpet of the
Boston Symphony Orchestra is exceeded only by
Georges Mager, who was principal for 31 years.
Charlie is the only principal trumpet in the 20th
century who was not already a member of the BSO.
All of his predecessors were members of the
orchestra prior to becoming principal trumpet:
Gustav Heim, Roger Voisin, Armando Ghitalla, and
Rolf Smedvig each joined the BSO as
third/assistant principal. Mager was hired as a
violist.
Charlie has also been a member of
the Boston Symphony Chamber Players since 1981.
Prior to his appointment in Boston, he held the
position of principal trumpet in the Minnesota
Orchestra, the Milwaukee Symphony, and the Kansas
City Philharmonic. He was associate principal
trumpet in the Cleveland Orchestra under George
Szell.
Throughout his long and
distinguished career, Charlie has received
numerous awards and accolades. He has appeared as
soloist both in recital and with orchestras in
France, Brazil, Japan, as well as in the United
States. He has appeared as soloist with the Boston
Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Seiji
Ozawa and with the Minnesota Orchestra under
conductors Neville Marriner, Stanislaw
Skrowaczewski, and Kazuyoshi Akiyama. In Japan he
has appeared as soloist with the Kyushu Symphony
in Fukuoka under Ken-Ichiro Kobayashi, and with
conductor Naohiro Totsuka has performed with both
the Tokyo City Philharmonic and the Hiroshima
Symphony Orchestra. He has also been soloist with
the Kyushu and Hiroshima Symphonies with Kazuyoshi
Akiyama conducting.
In addition to holding
positions on the faculties of the New England
Conservatory and the Tanglewood Music Center,
Charlie is also in demand as a teacher abroad and
has held master classes in Europe, Canada, Japan,
and South America. Since the 1980s he has been a
regular visitor to Brazil, presenting master
classes and recitals. He has appeared as soloist
with orchestras in Joao Pessoa, Sao Luis, Recife,
Sao Paulo, Campinas, Salvador, Vitoria, Rio de
Janeiro and Porto Alegre.. He has taught in Rio de
Janeiro at the University of Rio de Janeiro, and
also in Sao Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Salvador,
Vitoria, and Campinas. In 1988 Charlie helped
create the Northeastern Brazil Brass Master
Classes in Joao Pessoa, and this series was
subsequently expanded to include the areas of Sao
Luis, Recife, and Belem. He has also performed and
recorded with BRASSIL (the resident Brass Quintet
of Paraiba University) and on several occasions
has appeared with the Jazz Orchestra of J.U. Da
Silva ("Duda"). Since 1995 Charlie has been
visiting professor at Sakuyo University, in
Kurashiki, Japan where in addition to teaching has
given recitals with pianist Yasuo Watanabe and has
appeared as soloist with the University’s Wind
Ensemble.
Charlie can be heard on most
Boston Symphony recordings made since his
appointment in 1981. In addition, in 1994 he began
making solo recordings. The first, “Bravura
Trumpet” was originally recorded for VOX and has
been recently re-issued by and is available from
the Charles Schlueter Foundation. Three other CDs
have been subsequently released on the Kleos
Classics label: “Virtuoso Trumpet” (2001),
"Trumpet Concertos" (2002), and “Trumpet Works”
(2003).
The Charles Schlueter Foundation,
Inc., a non-profit organization, was founded in
2001 to encourage communication among Brass Legends and to advance the level of performance,
teaching and literature associated with brass
instruments. Its mission is to foster the
enjoyment of music, promote music education, and
assist in the training of talented young brass
performers. The Foundation strives to promote
music as an essential part of school curriculums
and to understand and demonstrate how music serves
as a means of communication across a range of
cultures throughout the world.
Contents of
Charlie’s solo CDs:
“Bravura Trumpet”
(1994): “ Intrada” by Otto Ketting, “Chamber Music
VII - Ceremonies” and “Chamber Music VIII -
Sonata” by Robert Suderburg, “Sonate pour
Trompette en Re et Violoncelle, op. 21” by Yves
Chardon, and “Sonate” by Paul Hindemith. Recorded
at Symphony Hall, Boston.
“Virtuoso
Trumpet” (2001, Kleos Classics KL5114): “Intrada”
by Artur Honegger, “Legende” by Georges Enesco,
“Sonate for Cello and Trumpet” by Yves Chardon*,
“Sonata for Horn, Trumpet and Trombone” by Francis
Poulenc, “Septet” by Camille Saint-Saens, and the
world premiere recording of “Duo Concerto for
Trumpet and Organ” by Tomas Svoboda. Recorded at
Thompson Chapel, Williams College, Williamstown,
Massachusetts. (*from “Bravura Trumpet”)
“Trumpet Concertos” (2002, Kleos Classics
KL51222): "Concerto in Eb Major" by Johann Baptist
Neruda, "Concerto in Eb Major" by Franz Joseph
Haydn, "Concerto in D Major" by Giuseppe Tartini,
and "Concerto in E Major" by Johann Nepomuk
Hummel. This was recorded in April 2002 in
Fukuoka, Japan with the Kyushu Symphony Orchestra,
conducted by Kazuyoshi Akiyama, and funded in part
by The Charles Schlueter Foundation, Inc.
“Trumpet Works” (2003, Kleos Classics KL 5126):
“Sonate” by Jean Hubeau, “Chamber Music VII -
Ceremonies” and “Chamber Music VIII - Sonata” by
Robert Suderburg, “Sonate” by Paul Hindemith.
Recorded at Thompson Chapel, Williams College,
Williamstown, Massachusetts.
Following his
retirement from the BSO, Charlie plans to remain
active as a member of the faculty of the New
England Conservatory, as well as continuing his
annual trips to Brazil and Japan and Europe to
give master classes. Plans to record a few more
CDs are also on the horizon.
Player bio
taken from
Eric Berlin Post on the TH web site.
|
