After the world premiere of Dr. Richard Byrd’s commissioned composition, “Emergence Fanfare for Brass Quintet,” at the recent dedication of EKU's New Science Building, Dr. Tom Otieno, dean of the College of Science, asked Byrd to professionally record the composition.
Byrd, a faculty member in EKU’s School of Music, coordinated the recording project and brought in his former teacher, mentor, and international recording artist Vincent DiMartino to record with the EKU School of Music faculty who premiered the composition. Performing faculty included Dr. Mick Sehmann on horn, Dr. Nate Siler on trombone, Jim Willett on tuba, and Byrd on trumpet. EKU Music Industry and Recording Arts professor Dr. Shane Hoose, was the recording engineer. The recording should be available by the end of this semester, according to Byrd.
On a related note, at the request of David Marlatt, publisher and owner of Eighth Note Publications, Byrd recently composed two versions of his earlier work for brass quintet titled “Celebration Fanfare.” The original brass quintet composition was written for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Lexington.
Following that event, the trumpet choir version of the brass quintet, titled “Great American Fanfare,” was written for the 2012 Great American Brass Band Festival to celebrate and salute DiMartino. Professional trumpeters from across the country came to perform with DiMartino, including the legendary Doc Severinsen. The new works are titled “Celebration Fanfare for Concert Band” and “Celebration Fanfare for Double Brass Quintet.”
The work for double brass quintet was premiered this past summer at the 2017 Kentucky Center Governor’s School for the Arts, a three-week summer intensive program for Kentucky’s most talented high school artists, where Byrd is an artist-in-residence and serves as chair of the instrumental music discipline and dean of faculty.