Meet the Seraph Brass
Hello, Horn Community!
My name is Rachel Velvikis, and I am the core horn player for the all-women brass quintet, Seraph Brass. It is an honor to introduce both myself and the group to you.
Seraph’s goal is to encourage young women to pick up brass instruments. The reason for this is simple: people still, even in the 21st century, are sometimes shocked to see that women are as capable of playing brass instruments just as well as their male counterparts…or as loud as, or as long as…. We aspire to inspire.
Being in Seraph Brass has, in all honesty, saved my love of music, and it has helped me remember why I am a musician: the music has always been the reason to play. Music and the feelings we share together in it are sacred. If we can evoke an individual’s emotions through music, then I will always feel fortunate to perform with this group. If through Seraph I can inspire others to play an instrument, I will feel even more fulfilled.
Beyond our objectives, the repertoire is terrific! Here is Go by Anthony DiLorenzo—it’s one of my absolute favorite pieces to perform in concert:
As we are also dedicated to commissioning pieces by women, here is the middle movement of Catherine McMichael’s Asteria (also the title of our award-winning album):
Another great work commissioned by Seraph for this album is Renee Orth’s Leaguered in Fire, Lagooned in Gold. Asteria is available on all major streaming platforms.
It would be our great honor if you would listen to our music and, if you are able, come see us in concert. We travel around the world, so the best way to find us is through the EVENTS listing on the Seraph Brass website.
If you would like to know more about me, please visit my personal website.
We hope to see you on the road!
Rachel
The Impact of Love and Culture
One is not likely to truly appreciate the value of a professional union until one works outside of a union. In Ukrainian orchestras, there are rarely days off, and you can forget about resting your chops. There have been times when I have played 4 or 5 different concerts in the same week, but there is never a shortage of classical music in Ukraine. In fact, in Lviv alone—a city of just over 700,00 people—there are six full-time orchestras. My name is Linnie Hostetler, and I’m the principal hornist of the Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine. I want to tell you about my beloved Ukraine through my musical and cultural experiences over the past 5 years.
I will never forget the night I arrived in Ukraine. It was the first day of January—not hard to forget! Of course, they were having a cold spell that week, so high the temperature was around -7°F. But Ukraine is not a frozen, Siberian-like tundra (contrary to popular belief). Its climate is like that of the American northeast. Think New York. I didn’t know a single word in Ukrainian or how to read the Cyrillic alphabet when I arrived. While I learned the language very quickly, I can honestly say that there was no shortage of failures along the way. My first meal in Ukraine was pasta with ketchup because I couldn’t read the product labels and just chose a jar with tomatoes on it, assuming it was tomato sauce. I quickly developed the personal motto, “Never assume in Ukraine!” Learning from mistakes is the fastest way to learn (as we all know), but it’s not always enjoyable.
Musically, Lviv has been a dream for me. Fresh out of college—after years and years of practicing orchestral excerpts—I crossed off almost all the major symphonic works on my bucket list in a five-year period. I have played all the Beethoven symphonies, all of Brahms’ symphonic works, almost all of Richard Strauss’ tone poems, four Bruckner symphonies, many ballets (including Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet and Stravinsky’s ballets), and Shostakovich’s 5th symphony, among many others. Basically, I have played through The Thompson Edition but in real life! I’ve also toured with the orchestra to ten European countries and to China. It has truly been the experience of a lifetime.
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| Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra Horn Section: (left to right, back row) Anya Zhovtobryuk, Oleg Bezushkevych, Andriy Mamorskiy, Zoltan Bodnar (left to right, front row) Roman Savin, Vasyl Havryliv, Ruslan Litvinchuk, Linnie Hostetler |
Ukraine has many thriving cities where music and art fill the streets. Many well-known composers have deep ties to Ukraine, including Gershwin, Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, and Prokofiev. These composers (or their ancestors) and others were born in the nation of Ukraine—and many of them studied in Russia. Each region of the country claims to have the best coffee in Ukraine, and coffee drinking is an essential part of the culture. The food is unbelievable and has richer flavors than anything I’d ever tasted in the United States. Ukrainians are excellent cooks, and I’m always amazed at their ability to make something дуже смачне—“really tasty”—out of what seems to be nothing. Ukraine’s geography is very diverse, with the Carpathian Mountain range in the west, plains and farmland in the center, and the Azov and Black Seas to the south. One popular question related to vacationing in Ukraine is, “Mountains or sea, which do you prefer?” But more than any of Ukraine’s assets, the people, above all, have won my heart. My friends and colleagues in Lviv are the most generous, sincere, and proud people I have ever encountered. They love their country, and their nationalistic pride is awe-inspiring. They are proud of their heritage and their culture, and they are also very proud of how much they have overcome to be where they are now. I’ve always been a little envious of Ukrainian culture. It’s hard, as an American, to imagine having traditions, recipes, and family land all over 1,000 years old. My friends often ask me, “What is American culture like?” or “How would you describe American food?” It’s not easy for me to answer them considering their history.
One way Ukraine differs noticeably from other cultures is their “we’re-all-in-this-together” mentality—as opposed to an individualistic mentality. They never leave anyone behind; they share all the resources they possess to help each other, and family is more important than anything. Ukraine has influenced the way I think about the future, because now the question in my mind is “What can I do for us?” instead of “What can I do for me?”
Coming from a privileged nation and having all one could ever want or need, I can assure you that many of us take things for granted. Ukrainians always give the best of what they have to their guests, even if it’s their own bed. (Pro-tip: Never go to someone’s house empty-handed because you will not leave empty-handed!) Ukrainian people are very straight-forward. They will tell you exactly what they think, right to your face. At first, it was a little off-putting, but then I realized how refreshing it is not to hide your emotions or put on a front. I think this honesty is one of the reasons Ukrainians have deep, real relationships, and their unity is long-standing proof that together they can overcome anything.
As we all know by now, Ukraine is experiencing an injustice that is shocking the world. Many of us feel helpless, not knowing what to do or how to help as we watch these events unfold on our television sets from the comfort of our homes. There are plenty of ways to give to support Ukraine. Their greatest needs right now are food, water, sanitary products, and body armor for the civilians who are joining the fight for freedom. Most of all, keep praying for Ukraine, for the safety of its citizens and the strength of its army. I can’t wait to return to the country that I love, to make music with my colleagues, and to hug my dear friends. They’ve overcome so much already, and I’m confident that their victory lies ahead.
Слава Україні! Героям слава!
Glory to Ukraine! Glory to heroes!
(Editor’s Note: Linnie has created a fund-raiser from which she immediately sends funds to families in need and charities on the ground. If you might wish to contribute through a member of our generous horn community who knows and loves this nation, the link is: https://www.facebook.com/donate/326625235948824/?fundraiser_source=external_url)
Federico Cuevas Ruiz - K.495 Recording
This recording of the Mozart K.495 Concerto for horn and orchestra came about as the result of a project with Das Neue Mannheimer Orchester in the summer of 2021. The project consisted of a series of concertos for horn related to the Court at Mannheim. (It should be noted that in the live concert, the Concerto in E-flat by Franz Anton Dimmler was also performed; for this, I did the transcription and editing directly from the original manuscript [available on IMSLP] myself.) Mozart was rejected as Kapellmeister by the Mannheim Court orchestra, although he later conducted them in Munich with the premiere of his opera Idomeneo. With this pretext, my intent is to justify the relationship between Mozart and Mannheim. I have been working on this concerto since I was 11 years old, and I keep discovering new nuances. Without a doubt, the recording of my teacher, Teunis van der Zwart with the Freiburguer Barockorchester, was definitive in finding my own interpretation. In addition, the recording of the late Lowell Greer, who I didn’t have the honor of meeting, was a big inspiration. https://youtu.be/onLMN-VFqwY
Federico Cuevas Ruiz was born in 1994 in Ibiza. He began his horn studies at the age of 7 at the Music School of Ibiza with Professor Damián Boluda. In 2012, he began his Bachelor's degree at the Real Conservartorio Superior de Música de Madrid with Professor Elies Moncholí. After obtaining the highest grade on his graduation exam in 2018, he was accepted to the Conservatorium van Amsterdam to pursue his Master's degree in historical horns with Professor Teunis van der Zwart. There, he focused on studying and performing the music of the eighteenth century. Since graduating, he has played with numerous orchestras including the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century, The Bach Choir & Orchestra of the Netherlands, Het Nationaal Jeugdorkest Nederland, Deutsche Händel-Solisten, etc.
Uma visão de Arnold Jacobs
por Christian Morabito
Como o mestre Arnold Jacobs me influenciou, sem mesmo conhecê-lo?
Em Dezembro de 2018 eu comecei a ver vídeos do mestre Charles Vernon (trombone baixo da CSO) no Youtube porque sempre gostei da sua maneira de tocar, sua sonoridade e sua musicalidade. Nesse momento me pareceu super interessante seu enfoque pedagógico, desde suas explicações simples e também seu sentido de humor. Me concentrei tanto nesse enfoque que pensei… ‘’Por quê não legendar seus videos’’? . Cheguei inclusive a enviar um e-mail porque eu precisava da permissão dele para fazer esse trabalho, mas nunca recebi uma resposta. Sei que ele é uma pessoa muito ocupada. Então comecei a buscar informação relacionada porque sentia que meus conceitos sobre sonoridade, respirações e mais coisas que aprendi com meu professor Jorge Ramírez Álvarez (ex-trombone baixo da Orquesta Filarmónica de Buenos Aires, onde trabalho atualmente como trompa grave), eram similares.
Um dia, buscando informação similar a de Vernon, descobri uma página de Arnold Jacobs! TUBAPEOPLETV, onde ex-alunos do maestro contavam suas próprias experiências em classes particulares no porão do seu estúdio na rua South Normal (o famoso porão ) e também no edifício de Belas Artes, ambos em Chicago, entrevistados por um senhor chamado Michael Grose. Nesse momento me veio a ideia de enviar um e-mail diretamente a página de Arnold Jacobs, já que não recebi resposta do Sr. Vernon e eu não queria ficar sem conhecer mais sobre o assunto. Depois de escrever e enviar o e-mail, pedindo sua permissão para legendar os vídeos das entrevistas ( todas super interessantes!) em espanhol, meu idioma nativo, eu recebi imediatamente uma resposta automática dizendo ‘’em breve responderemos seu pedido’’ algo assim! Pensei… ''Affff, ele não vai me responder’’!. Contrariando meus pensamentos, recebi outro e-mail muito agradável e caloroso no dia seguinte com a seguinte resposta: ''querido Christian, sinta-se livre para legendar o que você quiser! sempre que seja para divulgar os Gensinamentos do grande Arnold Jacobs, sinta-se livre’’… assinado por…Michael Grose! Fiquei boquiaberto! E imediatamente perguntei…’’ Você é Michael Grose?’’Em seguida me respondeu…’’SIM’’. Pensei… UAUUU! É ele!
Desde esse momento começou uma grande amizade entre nós e ainda que não nos conhecemos pessoalmente, depois de estar tanto tempo em contato, eu o considero parte da minha vida e também da minha família.
Atualmente já legendei mais de 160 vídeos em espanhol e juntos, Mike e eu, criamos o site www.arnoldjacobsenespanol.com onde é possível encontrar vídeos informativos e também artigos traduzidos para espanhol.
O enfoque de Jacobs é o mesmo que aprendi com meu professor Jorge! Segundo ele, na década 1970, quando realizou seus estudos nos Estados Unidos, ‘’todos’’ estudavam com Arnold Jacobs! Seu enfoque se baseia na simplicidade, trabalhar com a natureza e não contra ela.
Apesar de que muitas pessoas conheciam e conhecem a Jacobs como ‘’o cara das respirações'', esta frase é muito, mas muito pequena para ele. Jacobs baseava seu enfoque na famosa frase ‘’Song and Wind''(canção e vento). Sempre focado em 85% na canção e só 15% no vento. Também existe um livro com esse nome, Song and Wind, de Brian Frederiksen, onde podem encontrar informação técnica e sobre a vida de Jacobs. Este livro acaba de ser traduzido ao espanhol por mim e por Julio Briseño (Trombonista Mexicano).
O senhor Jacobs foi uma pessoa que teve muitos problemas físicos e de saúde. Aos 15 anos foi aceito no Curtis Institute of Music como tubista e com bolsa integral, anos mais tarde lhe ofereceram uma bolsa completa para estudar canto. Ao tomar aulas de canto com o professor (cego) Lucciano Bochelli, um grande tenor, Jacobs sempre terminava com dores de garganta e afônico. A partir disso, Jacobs começou a estudar as funções e estrutura do ser humano, Foi um estudo fascinante que manteve até os últimos dias da sua vida! Dessa maneira ele direcionou seus conhecimentos para a música, mas não para ajudar a si mesmo e sim para ajudar os outros, desmitificando temas sobre o apoio diafragmático, entre outros tantos. Vários estudantes chegavam ao seu estúdio de todas as partes do mundo para pedir sua ajuda. Jacobs salvou a carreira de centenas de músicos.
Sendo trompista e não tubista, a medida que eu me aprofundava mais e mais nas suas histórias e ensinamentos, eu segui experimentando mudanças na minha maneira de tocar já que, nos meus inícios, tudo estava mais enfocado no mecânico, na força física, nas respirações profundas e no ''apoio'' muscular. Descobri algo que quero expressar por escrito… ‘’Quando você conhece essa abordagem e experimenta por si mesmo, você não volta ao anterior!’’. Isso acontece porque você começa a tocar livremente, com um som mais amplo e ressonante e você se foca mais no produto final que obviamente é a música, a comunicação e não nos aspectos físicos de como fazer isso! É um foco mental, com base no produto final.
Desta maneira Arnold Jacobs influenciou minha vida… e ele continua fazendo isso!
Obrigado sempre Sr. Jorge Ramirez, Sr. Michael Grose e Sr. Arnold Jacobs!
Federico Cuevas Ruiz - K.495 Recording
in EnglishLa grabación del concierto para orquesta y trompa de Mozart K.495 surgió como resultado final de un proyecto con la orquesta Das Neue Mannheimer Orchester en el verano del 2021. El proyecto consistía en una serie de conciertos relacionados con la Corte de Mannheim y la trompa. Cabe señalar que en el programa del concierto también se interpretó el concierto en Mi bemol de Franz Anton Dimmler, del cual Federico hizo la transcripción y edición directamente del manuscrito original (que se encuentra en IMSLP). Mozart fue rechazado como Kapellmeister por la orquesta de la corte de Mannheim, aunque luego los dirigió en Múnich con el estreno de su ópera Idomeneo. Con este pretexto se puede justificar la relación entre Mozart y la corte de Mannheim. Federico lleva trabajando en este concierto desde los 11 años y sigue descubriendo nuevos matices. Sin duda, la grabación de su maestro, Teunis van der Zwart con la Freiburguer Barockorchester, fue definitiva para encontrar su propia interpretación. También la grabación del recientemente fallecido Lowell Greer, a quien no tuvo el honor de conocer, fue una gran inspiración. https://youtu.be/onLMN-VFqwY
Federico Cuevas Ruiz nació en 1994 en Ibiza. Comenzó sus estudios de trompa a los 7 años en la Escuela Municipal de Música de Ibiza con el profesor Damián Boluda. En 2012 inicia sus estudios de Grado Superior en el
Real Conservartorio Superior de Música de Madrid con el profesor Elies Moncholí. Después de obtener la nota más alta en su examen final de graduación, en 2018 fue aceptado en el Conservatorium van Amsterdam para estudiar su maestría de trompa natural con el profesor Teunis van der Zwart. Allí se centró en estudiar y tocar la música del siglo XVIII. Graduado en 2018, ha tocado con orquestas como la Orquesta del Siglo XVIII, The Bach Choir & Orchestra of the Netherlands, Het Nationaal Jeugdorkest Nederland, Deutsche Händel-Solisten, etc.
Students in the City
by Hannah Culbreth and Jack Bryant
(l-r) Sarah Boxmeyer, Hannah Culbreth, Jack Bryant, Etienne Kambara, Christine Ott, Martina Adams, Andrew Stump, Jennifer Montone, Jeff Lang, John Clark
After a long hiatus from live concerts due to the pandemic, we were excited to return to Verizon Hall on February 20th for our first orchestra concert for a live audience. We played a rather horn-heavy program, including Stravinsky’s Symphonies of Wind Instruments, Barber’s Toccata Festiva for organ and orchestra, and Strauss’s Also Sprach Zarathustra.
The historic Curtis Institute building at 1726 Locust closed for renovations while school was held online and just recently reopened. We now enjoy practicing in the large comfortable rooms while looking out over Rittenhouse Square and watching for people walking their dogs.
Curtis has an extensive collection of instruments available to the students for rental, either donated to the school or purchased for our studio, including alphorns, Wagner tubas, and period instruments. We especially enjoy practicing classical repertoire on the Seraphinoff natural horns and Kopprasch on a Wiener horn made by Robert Engel. The school also owns many vintage Conn 8Ds and a variety of descant horns, some of which were owned by former principal players in the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Our teachers, Jen Montone and Jeff Lang, often invite well-known players to give masterclasses. Recent guests have included Fergus McWillliam, Radovan Vlatkovic, Julie Landsman, Nury Guarnaschelli, Randy Gardner, David Cooper, Richard King, and Nicole Cash.
We’re looking forward to working on the Haydn/Rosetti Double Concerto for a performance on a brass recital later this semester.
In our free time away from the horn, we enjoy walking around the city and exploring the used bookstores and thrift stores in the area. We’re always on the lookout for rare recordings on vinyl that aren’t available on streaming platforms. For one of our studio classes this semester, we gathered at Professor Montone’s house, and we each chose some interesting recordings from Julie Landsman’s personal record collection. We took turns playing along with the recordings—everything from Dennis Brain’s recording of the Britten Serenade with Peter Pears to Ravel’s Pavane for a Dead Princess with the Cleveland Orchestra and Pierre Boulez.
We also enjoy visiting interesting stores in Center City to find fresh ingredients to make food for our friends. DiBruno Bros., Reading Terminal Market, and the Rittenhouse Square Farmer’s Market are some of our favorite places to purchase groceries. Jack is a coffee geek and likes to roast his own coffee and prepare espresso drinks with his manual-lever espresso maker, so we keep him “in supply.”
We sometimes take trips on Amtrak to New York City to see performances. Last November, we went to see the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg. But Philadelphia is an equally great city with a vibrant and engaging arts and culture scene and lots to see and discover.
Insight on Arnold Jacobs
by Christian Morabito
How did Arnold Jacobs influence my life, even without knowing him?
In December of 2018, I started to watch videos of maestro Charles Vernon (bass trombonist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra) on YouTube. I always liked his way of playing, his sound and his musicality. At that moment, it seemed to me that his pedagogical approach was very interesting, from his simple explanations and even his sense of humor. I was focused on his approach when I thought, “Why don't I subtitle his videos?” So I sent him an email since I needed permission to do the work, but I never got an answer. Of course I knew he was a very busy person. I started to search for additional information because I felt that my concepts of sound, respiration, and other aspects of playing which I had been learning from Jorge Ramirez Álvarez (former bass trombonist of Buenos Aires Philharmonic Orchestra, where I play as a low horn player) were similar.
One day, while searching for information similar to Mr. Vernon’s, I discovered an Arnold Jacobs page: TUBAPEOPLETV, hosted by a man named Michael Grose. Former students of Mr. Jacobs were talking about their private lesson experiences in the basement of his South Normal Street home (the famous basement!) or in the Fine Arts Building, both in Chicago. At that moment, I had the idea of sending an email directly to the Arnold Jacobs page, since I had not received an answer from Mr. Vernon and I didn't want to say something without first learning about it. I sent the email, asking for permission to write subtitles for these video interviews (all of which were so interesting!) in Spanish—my native language, by the way—and some minutes later I received an automatic answer saying something like: “Shortly we will answer your request,” and I thought, “Ufff, he is not going to answer me either!” To my delight, the next day I received a very nice and warm e-mail that said, “Dear Christian, please feel free to subtitle everything you want; if it is about sharing Mr. Jacobs’ teaching…just feel free to do it.” And it was signed by…Michael Grose! I was astonished! Immediately I asked, “Are you Michael Grose?” And when he replied, “Yes,” I at last thought: Wow! It's him!
Since that moment, we have started an amazing friendship even though we don't know each other in person yet. Now, after being in touch for three years, I consider him part of my life–and of my family too.
Until now, I have completed more than 160 videos about Mr. Jacobs, subtitled in Spanish, and together, Mike and I have created a web page www.arnoldjacobsenespanol.com where you can find information in video format as well as articles also translated into Spanish.
Mr. Jacobs' approach is the same I’d learned from Jorge! Jorge told me that in 1970, when he worked on a doctorate in music in the United States, “everyone” was studying with Arnold Jacobs. His approach is based on simplicity: work with nature and not against it.
Many people knew Mr. Jacobs as “the breathing guy,” but this phrase is too small to describe him! He based his approach on the phrase “Song and Wind,” focused always on 85% song and just 15% on wind. There is also a book titled Song and Wind, written by Brian Frederiksen, in which you can find historical, technical, and pedagogical information about Mr. Jacobs. This book recently arrived, and it is now translated into Spanish by Julio Briseño (a Mexican trombone player) and myself.
Mr. Jacobs was a person who had many physical and health issues. After being accepted into the Curtis Institute of Music as a tubist at age 15, he also received another scholarship to study voice. While taking voice lessons, Jacobs always ended up with throat pain. The pain caused him to wonder why he was made so uncomfortable while singing but not from playing the tuba. So he started to study the function and structure of the human body. It was a fascinating study that occupied him until his last breath. Jacobs brought this knowledge to music, tirelessly helping others, and demystifying concepts like “diaphragm support.” Many students came into his studio from all different parts of the globe asking for help…and he saved many musical careers.
I am a horn player and not a tubist, yet while I was moving deeper into his stories and teaching, I kept experiencing changes in my playing. As initially everything was focused on mechanics, physical strength, shallow breathing, and “muscle support,” I've discovered something I want to express in this article: When you know this approach and you experiment by yourself, you will never return to your prior approach. This happens because we start to play more freely, with bigger and better sound that is more resonant; and we learn to focus on the end product—obviously the music, the communication—rather than on the physical aspects of how to achieve it! It is a mental approach based on the final product.
In this way Mr. Jacobs influenced my life…and he is continuing to do so!
Thank you always, Mr. Jorge Ramirez, Mr. Michael Grose, and Mr. Arnold Jacobs!
