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"With precision, excitement and charisma - these words best describe the audience- engaging performance by The Rodney Mack Philadelphia Big Brass. Our stage was filled with energized, talented musicians who performed a variety of works from the Baroque to Jazz eras. The audience was on their feet before the last cut-off of the baton. This is a show that should not be missed."
- Doris Hall-Gulati, Franklin Marshall College
"Mack
and Walwyn give Eugene Bozza's Caprice more drama and excitement than I
knew it had. Their account of the flamboyant Arutunian Trumpet Concerto
is the most flexible and personal I've heard." - American Record Guide
One word describing Mack's interpretation..."Fearless!" - Fanfare Magazine
"Rodney Mack is a superb trumpet player and musician..."
- Gerard Schwarz
The sound of Rodney Mack’s trumpet has reverberated throughout the
world. Whether playing baroque piccolo trumpet or interpreting works
commissioned especially for him, his artistry has been enthusiastically
enjoyed inside of the United States and in such countries as France,
Spain, Germany, England, Greece, Rumania, Japan, Taiwan, and Korea. He
has been praised by music critics from Fanfare Magazine, American
Record Guide, Records International Catalog, and other international
publications for his evocative interpretation, impeccable virtuosity,
and beauty of sound.
A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, Rodney Mack has worked
under the guidance of world renowned conductors such as Leonard
Bernstein, Michael Tilson Thomas, Gerard Schwarz, James DePreist, John
Williams, Jesus Lopez- Cobos and Christopher Hogwood. He was awarded a
fellowship at the Tanglewood Music Center where he was invited to
return for a second summer during which he was awarded the Seiji Ozawa
Award for Outstanding Musicianship.
Mr. Mack was born in New Orleans, Louisiana where he began his musical
studies at the age of six. When he was eleven years of age, he began
taking classical trumpet lessons with his cousin, Wynton Marsalis.
Referred to as a "trumpet prodigy" Rodney Mack’s solo debut was at the
age of fifteen with the New Orleans Symphony. After having won various
solo competitions, he received national attention at the age of
nineteen performing as soloist with the Boston Pops Orchestra. He has
also performed as soloist with the San Diego Symphony, the Tenerife
Symphony, the Orquestra Sinfonica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya,
The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia and many orchestras throughout
the United States and Europe.
Mr. Mack has made several world premiere recordings including "Sonata
for Trumpet and Piano" (Albany Records) by Adolphus Hailstork and "In
Our Own House"(Albany Records) by composer Alvin Singleton with
saxophonist Branford Marsalis and concert pianist Karen Walwyn.
In 1998 Rodney Mack made the premiere and critically
acclaimed recording of Franz Waxman’s "Carmen Fantasy for Trumpet and
Orchestra" with conductor Lawrence Foster on the Koch International
record label.
Mr. Mack's debut solo trumpet CD "Spirit of the
Trumpeter" (Albany Records) has been dubbed as a "best seller". It is a
compilation of some of the most popular recital works for trumpet and
piano. Regarding "Spirit of the Trumpeter" ,former cornet virtuoso and
renown conductor Gerard Schwarz says,
"Rodney Mack is a superb trumpet player and musician. I have no doubt
that this CD will make an important addition to the catalogue of
sublime trumpet performances."
In the course of his more than twenty years as an orchestral
musician, Mr. Mack was the winner of several national and international
competitions for titled orchestral chairs
including positions with The New Orleans Symphony, The Colorado
Symphony Orchestra, The San Diego Symphony Orchestra, The Orquestra
Sinfonica de Tenerife, The Barcelona Symphony,and The Richmond
Symphony. After completing a one year trial period he was awarded the
Principal Trumpet position with the
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia. During his tenure as Principal
Trumpet with the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra Mr. Mack was appointed
head of the trumpet department at the Escuela Superior de Musica de
Catalunya (ESMUC) Spain's leading music conservatory. He has recently
been invited to give master classes at the Julliard School,The North
Carolina School for the Arts, the National Trumpet Competition and the
International Trumpet Guild Conference. He has also been invited to
teach at the Eastern Music Festival and the Interlochen Music Academy.
Rodney can be heard as Soloist and Principal Trumpet on more than
thirty different recordings with labels such as Decca, Naxos, Koch
International Classics, and Albany Records .His year is split between
his duties as Principal Trumpet with Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia
and various master classes and solo engagements in the United States
and abroad. |