Being a part of the ITG conference was probably the most gratifying “gig” of my life.  Staying in one of the most beautiful places in North America, performing for such an enthusiastic (and educated) audience, meeting so many awesome people and becoming great friends with a lot of them, the whole experience far exceeded my expectations.

My first performance was a feature spot at the massive big band concert, which was really well-received.  For the finale, a tribute to Doc Severinsen, I shared the stage with a diverse group of over a dozen great trumpeters including Doc, Allen Vizzutti, Jens Lindemann, Sean Jones, Ingrid Jensen (who I also adjudicated the Jazz competition with), Mark Gould, David Hickman, Maurice Murphy, Andrea Tofanelli and a ton of others, and we definitely gave the audience something to remember.  Hanging out  backstage with all these guys (and gals) was a momentous occasion, to say the least. 

(Left to Right: Sean Jones, Jens Lindemann, Sergei Nakariakov, Wycliffe Gordon, Andrea Tofanelli, me)

The following day I delivered two solo concerts, almost back-to-back.  I wasn't quite sure how many people would be interested in the musical concept I was presenting, and it's really exciting to see how many students and colleagues were deeply enthusiastic about what I'm doing.  Their encouraging response really gave me the green-light to pursue the concept farther.  The album is definitely in the works....

Here’s the review of my solo concerts as published on the ITG website:

“Adam Rapa presented a high-intensity, pulse pounding performance demonstrating he is an artist on the rise.  Capitalizing on his strengths (fast technique, strong upper register and chops to burn), Rapa’s music pays homage to his musical heros while looking forward with modern elements to create his own unique sound. 

In this concert, Rapa utilized classical music themes as the framework for his music while incorporating an array of musical styles including classical, jazz, pop/rock and Latin.  Rapa’s music uses amplified instruments, electronic sound manipulation (at one point his trumpet sounded like an electric, rock guitar) and a pounding drumbeat to keep the listener energized from start to finish.”

The final concert of the entire conference was given by the Mnozil Brass, who are based in Vienna.  Many people, including myself, feel they’re the greatest brass ensemble in existence.  They are absolutely astounding musicians and hilarious performers.  I’M THEIR NUMBER ONE FAN.  Anyway, near the end of their concert, they brought me up to perform an encore number with them.  I jumped up onto the stage from my front-row seat and played a short number with them, completely cold-turkey.  What an honor it was to share the stage with such a group of musicians.  I absolutely love them, and you will too once you’ve seen their work.  They have two DVD’s out.  Watch them.

I captured multiple camera angles of all my appearances (except for the after-hours Jazz club stuff) and over the next few weeks I’ll be producing a series of videos with some of the highlights.  You can watch the videos here on my Audio/Video page or on YouTube. 

Enjoy!