CAS CONNECT 2016

12 wonderfully as the group put more music into a Bach prelude and fugue than should be allowed. We headed back into Legacy Hall to prepare for our quin- tet’s performance. This group being the reigning national champions, the crowd grew. The group was greeted by a large gust of applause and cheering. By the end of the piece, no one could believe what was just heard. The sounds filled Legacy Hall for several seconds after the cutoff. It was phenomenal. As the opening concert was coming to a close, the audi- ence got more and more antsy, awaiting the results. Finally, an NTC board member took the stage: “The Large Ensemble finalists are the University of Texas, Oklahoma State University and Central Michigan University.” DAY 4 With the ensemble compe- tition over with, we looked forward to a more relaxed day going to the exhibits and listening to solo performances. The exhibits are a special part of the competition. Companies that produce everything trumpet show up with their shiniest and best products to tout to young musicians looking to push their playing to the next level. Many times, students will walk out with new horns. It is also a good time for teach- ers to try horns that they may want to buy for their schools. Dr. Gardner goes straight to the source for us. He is a Bach performing artist, so he makes the exodus to the Bach factory to try out horns that his students will get to play for free when we’re at the school. However, this is a great place for the students to try out horns on their own. With our experiences at the exhibits wrapped up, we began our first of four compet- itors in the solo division. First up was Lorenzo Diaz, a second-year master’s student from Duncan, Okla., who is also a part of the large ensem- ble. He stepped on stage in a regal purple button-down shirt and played The American Concerto by Ellen Taafe Zwilich. It’s not a very well- known piece of music, but it is one of the hardest from the modern repertoire. Next was Justin Weisenborn, a first-year master’s student and member of OSU’s quin- tet. He performed the Tamberg Trumpet Concerto, another of the hardest pieces in the modern repertoire. Tyler Murray was the last of the four OSU performers for the day. The senior from Checotah, Okla., filled much of the 2,000-seat concert hall with his sound. DAY 5 Dr. Gardner asked us to attend the high school semi finals around 11:30 a.m. to hear some prospec- tive OSU students. The three were really talented and impressed us greatly, playing pieces that some of us college students would not dare to play because of their level of difficulty. A short lunch later, perfor- mance preparations swung into high gear. OSU trumpet performance and vocal music educat ion senior Grant Harper celebrated his 22nd bi rthday at the 2016 Nat ional Trumpet Compet i t ion in Columbus, Georgia. He helped OSU win a nat ional championship in the large ensemble division.