Attending the Philadelphia International Music Festival was a wonderful and impactful learning experience for me.
Being able to spend my time there solely focused on music while receiving amazing instruction went a long way for my development as a player. The conductor, Cristian Macelaru’s approach in the orchestra was brilliant, and he made very thoughtful comments throughout rehearsals that I still apply today. The benefit of studying under musicians other than your private teacher is enormous. I found it especially effective that PIMF had two separate trumpet players giving private lessons during my sessions. Hearing their different ways of approaching the trumpet and potential problems was very beneficial.
A primary focus at PIMF is learning how to properly take auditions. In 2014, six audition workshops were held with various faculty teaching at the camp, all of whom had different approaches towards what some consider a musicians most arduous challenge. As I enter the audition circuit I find myself drawing on what I learned at PIMF more and more. Throughout the masterclass series, the clinicians gave a comprehensive overview on what to do in order to prepare for an audition. This extends from mental practice and other techniques to how to get connected in order to find auditions to take.
Auditions and orchestral playing aren’t the only things taught at PIMF. My favorite experience was actually in my chamber ensemble, a brass quintet. Perhaps the best thing for me at PIMF wasn’t the teaching I received, but rather the opportunity to play with talented and like-minded peers. PIMF consistently draws talented students, and I was privileged to be able to learn from not just the faculty, but my fellow students.
More about Tyler:
Tyler Lindsay is a nationally recognized trumpet player who recently won the 2016 National Trumpet Competition for Jazz. Currently a junior at Loyola University (New Orleans) majoring in Trumpet Performance and Composition, Tyler was selected in 2013 for the Telluride Jazz All-stars as part of the Telluride Jazz Festival in Colorado. The next year he won 2nd place at the International Trumpet Guild Competition in the Jazz division and in 2015 was selected for both solo jazz and classical trumpet with the Disneyland All-American College Band.
Tyler began studying trumpet at the age of 3, and by the time he was 11 had been featured in the Peabody Award-winning HBO documentary, “The Music In Me,” made his Carnegie Hall Solo debut, and appeared in performance with jazz legends Percy Heath, Chick Corea, Slide Hampton, James Moody, Paquito D’Rivera and Richie Cole. The following year he was a featured soloist with the Virginia Symphony and performed side-by-side with jazz legend Arturo Sandoval.
Later this year, Tyler will participate in the prestigious, invitation-only Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute Program for Jazz in Highland Park, Illinois, as well as the Philadelphia International Music Festival at Bryn Mawr College in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and the Orchestre de la Francophonie in Montreal, Quebec.
Tyler Lindsay’s Arutiunian Trumpet Concerto: