The Rowan Blues and Jazz Society presents “Trombone Day” this Saturday at the Looking Glass Artist Collective, 405 N. Lee St.
A variety of music, from classical to jazz, will be utilized in a masterclass and rehearsal to begin at 10 a.m., with participation by players of a variety of levels, beginner to professional.
At noon, the group will present a short performance for the public in the LGAC black box theater.
The event will be led by three professional trombone instructors:
Bob Foreman holds music degrees from SUNY Potsdam and Ithaca College, and taught music for the New York State public schools for 30 years before moving to Salisbury in 2001. Presently he works for Communities in Schools of Rowan County as a Family Service Coordinator at Knox Middle School.
During his musical career in New York, he performed as bass trombonist with the Auburn Chamber Orchestra, Central New York Music Educator’s Wind Ensemble, Finger Lakes Trombone Ensemble, and Bones East Trombone Ensemble. He also performed with such noted artists as Natalie Cole, Bernadette Peters, the Four Seasons, and many Motown artists.
He is presently the bass trombonist with the Greensboro Philharmonia Orchestra, bass trombonist with the Charlotte Jazz Orchestra, trombonist with the Salisbury Brass Quintet, substitute trombonist with the Salisbury Symphony Orchestra, Brass and Woodwind Instructor for the Salisbury School of Music, and a board member of the Looking Glass Artistic Collective in Salisbury.
Chris Ferguson is in his third year as band director at Braxton Craven School in Randolph County. Prior to this position, he taught band for several years at both the middle and high school levels and also currently teaches brass at Pfeiffer University.
He is a graduate of Appalachian State University and the North Carolina School of the Arts. In 2006, he was granted National Board Certification in music education.
Ferguson is in demand as a freelance musician, having performed with the Ringling Brothers & Barnum Bailey Circus, USAir Jazz Band, Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians, Longhorn Rodeo Band, Starlight Orchestra (Bush Gardens), Disney All-American College Band, Carolina Ballet, Carolina Chamber Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, Kiev Symphony (Russia), Western Piedmont Symphony, and the Winston-Salem and Greensboro Symphonies.
Currently, he is principal trombone with the Salisbury Symphony and the Long Bay Symphony in Myrtle Beach, S.C. and a member of the Giannini Brass.
John Alexander is new to the Salisbury area. He retired from a 40-year teaching career at Miami Dade College in Florida where his responsibilities included ensemble leadership, music theory, and applied trombone and lower brass instruction.
He was able to pursue a dual career as educator and professional trombonist with service to major entertainers including Sammy Davis Junior, Barbara Streisand, Mel Torme, Edie Gorme and a host of others.
His road band experience included four months with the Ralph Flanagan orchestra and a one year tour with The Tommy Dorsey/Warren Covington Band.
For more information about Trombone Day, call 704-637-7326 or email sfhall@carolina.rr.com.