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2007 North
American Champions!
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293!
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FCBB sets record
mark en route to
first title.
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Kansas City has a new national champion, but it’s not a sports team. Instead it’s the Fountain City Brass Band, winner of last week’s North American Brass Band Championships, the
'Super Bowl' for brass bands.
The Fountain City Brass Band not only proved it to be America’s top brass band, but also shattered the championship record
(288.4-Stavanger) in the process, scoring a history making 293 points out of a possible 300. They out distanced both the 2nd place James Madison Brass Band and 3rd place Illinois Brass Band for top honors in this hotly contested yearly championship. Comments by the judges included “masterful and inspiring”; “…a consummate performance by masters of technique and all”, “…a band of artists conducted by a true artist.”
Also winning honors in the championship solo and ensemble competitions were Raquel Rodriquez, 1st place in the High Brass Technical Competition on cornet; TJ Menges, 2nd place in the Low Brass Technical Competition on tenor horn; and the Twisted Steel Quartet who also came in 2nd place in the brass ensemble competition.
The Fountain City Brass Band has made a meteoric rise since its inception some four years ago, being named “Most Entertaining Band” two years running in the US Open Competition, while also winning many individual prizes in all the competitions they have entered. Under the direction of Dr. Joseph Parisi, Professor of Music at UMKC, the band is a cross section of professional musicians, college/university music professors/students, and music educators from across the Kansas City metro. Schools represented in the band include UMKC, KU, JCCC, UCM, MWSU, Washburn University, Benedictine College, the Blue Springs School District, the Blue Valley School District, the Park Hill School District, the Lone Jack School District, and the Braymer School District.
This May, Fountain City will be the first American band to be invited to compete in the prestigious Masters Competition in Cambridge, England. While in the United Kingdom, they will present concerts in Manchester, Coventry, and in Scotland. Those wanting to hear these national champions can do so at the band’s next concert, slated for Sunday, May 13th at 7:30pm in White Hall at UMKC. Tickets are available by calling the Central Ticket Office at 816.235.6222 or online at
www.fcbb.net.
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Written by Scott
Watson, University
of Kansas |
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2007 NABBA FCBB Solo
& Ensemble
Participants |
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FCBB Spotlight:
Raquel Rodriquez |
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(Spotlight features FCBB members, guest artists and events) |
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FCBB
"star
rookie"
wins
NABBA
High
Brass
Technical
Competition
with
Arban's
"Carnival
of
Venice."
RAQUEL
H.
RODRIQUEZ
is the
instructor
of
trumpet
and
coordinator
of
brass
studies
at
Washburn
University
in
Topeka,
Kansas.
She
has
served
on the
faculties
of
Southeastern
Oklahoma
State
University,
Brookhaven
College,
Tarrant
County
College,
and
the
University
of
North
Texas.
Raquel
has
performed
in a
wide
variety
of
musical
settings.
She was
a member
of the
1992
Star of
Indiana
Drum and
Bugle
Corps.
This
performing
group
participated
in the
DCI
World
Championship
and won
the high
brass
title
that
year.
Raquel
also had
individual
success
winning
the DCM
solo
soprano
(trumpet)
competition.
This
organization
soon
became
Brass
Theater
and had
successful
touring
summers
with the
renowned
Canadian
Brass.
Raquel
was a
performing
member
of Brass
Theater
in
1995-96
and
1998.
During
this
time she
performed
in the
Hollywood
Bowl,
Tanglewood,
Wolf
Trap,
Interlochen,
Blossom,
Ravinia,
and the
Mostly
Mozart
Festival
at
Lincoln
Center.
She also
recorded
a CD
with the
Canadian
Brass
(Brass
Theater
II) as
well as
a PBS
special
that was
nationally
aired in
1996.
This
organization
again
went
through
a
rebirth
and soon
became a
show
called
Blast!.
Raquel
was a
member
of the
original
London
Cast.
As an
orchestral
musician
Raquel
has
performed
with the
Plano,
Irving,
and
Richardson
Symphony
Orchestras,
Chamber
Orchestra
of
Denton,
Amarillo
Symphony
Orchestra,
Aspen
Festival
Orchestra,
and the
Denton
Bach
Society.
In 2002,
Ms.
Rodriquez
performed
Henri
Tomasi’s
Concerto
for
Trumpet
with the
University
of North
Texas
Symphony
Orchestra
under
the
direction
of
Maestro
Anshel
Brusilow.
As a
chamber
musician
she has
performed
with a
variety
of
ensembles
including
baroque
chamber
orchestras,
brass
ensembles,
and jazz
ensembles.
In her
doctoral
studies,
Raquel
studied
the
baroque
trumpet
and
performed
with the
University
of North
Texas
Baroque
Trumpet
Ensemble.
Ms.
Rodriquez
has also
attended
many
summer
programs
including
the Lake
Placid
Institute
of Arts
Trumpet
Seminar,
Aspen
Music
Festival,
and the
Northwestern
University
Trumpet
Workshop.
Ms.
Rodriquez
received
her BM
and MA
degrees
from
West
Texas
A&M
University
and is
currently
a DMA
candidate
in
trumpet
performance
at the
University
of North
Texas
where
she is a
student
of Keith
Johnson
and
Eugene
Corporon.
www.raquelrodriquez.com
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For more
information
on the
Fountain
City Brass
Band, please
visit our
website at
www.fcbb.net.
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FCBB at 2007 North American
Brass Band Championships
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SUPPORT YOUR BAND
The Fountain City
Brass Band is an American Heritage Foundation.
As a non-profit
organization, the Fountain City Brass Band relies on grants and its
corporate and private supporters for financial assistance. Without
these generous tax deductible donations, our band could not continue
recruiting talented players for the band or giving this area the same
quality programs and guest artists.
Tickets sales
account for only half of the costs of each concert. Our goal is to
keep ticket prices within an affordable range so that all persons may
have access to the performances. In order to continue giving the
community the same level of quality band music, the band must raise
funds to offset our costs.
This May, the FCBB will become
the first American brass band to
compete in the All-England
International Masters Brass Band
Championships in Cambridge,
England. The Masters is a
competition that invites some of
the world's very best brass
bands and the FCBB is humbled by
their decision to grant our
young band a chance to
experience banding at the
highest level.
While in England the band will also participate in the, over century old, tradition of the Whit Friday Marches, in addition to presenting concerts and clinics throughout the country.
The FCBB needs your support. The FCBB is a volunteer organization, so none of the members make any money performing in the group. In fact each band member pays probably close to $1000 each year, just to be a part of this fine ensemble. The English tour will end up costing the band around $60,000. If you would like to become a "Friend of the FCBB", and make a tax deductible donation to the band please contact Lee Harrelson at 816.305.4894 or at lee@fcbb.net. You may also contact Lee if you would like to travel with the band to England May 23-June 4, 2007 or the North American Brass Band Championships in Louisville, April 12-15, 2007.
Our "Friends of the
FCBB" can choose from a variety of ways to assist us in producing the
same exquisite programs, often with gifted guest artists brought in
from all over the world. Outright gifts of cash, planned gifts and
fundraisers are all ways individuals and groups can ensure the
continued delivery of the timeless masterpieces and contemporary pops.
For more assistance
on planned giving and how to participate in our fundraisers, simply
call our office at (816) 305-4894 or email us at
fcbb@fcbb.net.
Tax deductible cash gifts may be mailed to Fountain City Brass Band,
Inc., PO Box 7119
Kansas City, MO 64113
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