The Western Michigan University (WMU) Irving S. Gilmore School of Music is preparing for its annual holiday tradition, "Brass for the Holidays," which will be held at 3 pm on Sunday, Dec 14 in the Dalton Center Recital Hall. Cara Lieurance speaks with trumpet professor Scott Thornburg and new trombone professor John Shanks about the upcoming concert.
Thornburg says this year marks over 40 years for the event, which started modestly as caroling in the lobby, but grew into a highly-anticipated seasonal concert. It is a collaboration of the entire School of Music's brass and percussion areas, featuring the Western Brass Quintet alongside faculty and students.
The most anticipated returning piece is the Renaissance dances from Tylman Susato's Danserye, arranged for large brass ensemble. Thornburg humorously mentions the time they didn't play it, they heard about it from discontented audience goers, so it is firmly back on the roster. The concert also includes a contemplative quintet arrangement of Florence Price's Adoration and Dmitri Shostakovich's Concertino, Opus 94.
New faculty member John Shanks, who joins WMU after 11 years at West Texas A&M, expresses his excitement to be part of the program and the supportive culture he finds at the School of Music. Thornburg praises Shanks’ talent, calling him a “very exciting, dynamic new trombone player." Thornburg will be retiring at the end of the 2025-26 school year after 37 years at Western. He says: "I hope to continue to show them the example of a working trumpet player, what a working trumpet player does. [...] All my students have watched me maintaining professional level trumpet playing skills and working out in the field all over the world."
Tickets are $18 for adults, $14 for seniors, and $6 for students, available at wmich.edu/music/events.
This interview was summarized by Claude AI and edited by the author.
