Historical Trumpet Rosters for Major Symphony Orchestras

Derek Reaban · Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2005 7:47 am Post subject:

I received a nice message from Dennis Ferry today (Principal Trumpet with Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and the newest member here on TH). He provided me with the end date for Michel Cuvit and the start date for Stephen Jeandheur as well as a contact with his ensemble to see about gathering information prior to 1943. Hopefully I will receive input to complete this list in the near future.

Welcome to the Trumpet Herald Dennis!

Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
Principal Trumpet Players

Start-End________Name

1984-Current_______Stephen Jeandheur (Co-Principal)
1977-Current_______Dennis Ferry (Co-Principal)
1964-1977_________Michel Cuvit
1949-1963_________Paolo Longinotti
1943-1949_________Francis Bodet
1918-1943_________Need Help!

Web Site: Orchestre de la Suisse Romande Trumpet Players

Current roster for the 2004-2005 Season:
Dennis Ferry - Principal
Stephen Jeandheur - Principal
Gérard Métrailler
Claude-Alain Barmaz
Michel Debonneville
_________________
Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe Winds / Symphony of the Southwest

Derek Reaban · Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2005 8:29 am Post subject:

I received a message from Jeff Korak with his bio information for the Santa Fe Opera folder and he mentioned that he didn’t see the Columbus Symphony on our list of orchestras. I will try to work on additional details for this ensemble, but for now here is what we have:

Columbus Symphony Orchestra
Principal Trumpet Players

Start-End________Name

19??-Current_______James Underwood
19??-19??_________TBD

Web Site: Columbus Symphony Orchestra

Current roster for the 2004-2005 Season:
James Underwood – Principal Trumpet
Jeffrey Korak – 2nd Trumpet
Thomas Battenberg – 3rd / Assistant Principal
_________________
Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe Winds / Symphony of the Southwest

Derek Reaban · Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2005 8:37 am Post subject:

I received a message from JP Surget at the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande this morning. I will need to sort through these details to complete this list, but it looks like another ensemble is almost complete!

Derek Reaban · Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2005 1:23 pm Post subject:

I received the following information from Jennifer Holdgrafer and Mel Goldzband regarding former trumpet players with the San Diego Symphony. Mel is the Archivist for the symphony and had this information in old programs. He suggested that more recent program booklets, with orchestra personnel, may be obtained at the Archives of the Historical Society so I will try that route to fill in the gaps. I’ll put this in our format soon.

Derek Reaban · Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2005 8:10 am Post subject:

I received the following message from the Vienna Philharmonic Archives today. I still need to find out who the Co-Principal trumpets are (they are not clearly shown at the orchestra’s web site). I’m also wondering if the dates that were provided were the total time that the player was in the section instead of the actual dates that they sat in the principal chair. I will follow-up with these questions, and then this ensemble will be complete.

Derek Reaban · Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2005 11:21 am Post subject:

While this list is still being worked, Steve Lowe from the Seattle Symphony has provided me with an additional name to add to our list (Bill Cole). He has provided me with a complete list of all trumpet players with the Seattle Symphony, but unfortunately there was no way to tell who was playing the 1st trumpet part. He is working on this and should have more details for me soon.

Derek Reaban · Posted: Fri Feb 04, 2005 9:57 am Post subject:

I received another message from Dr. Kargl at the Vienna Philharmonic. I’m starting to dial in the details of this ensemble. Based on some research that I’ve done on the Internet, I’m going to open the player bios folder for the Vienna Philharmonic, even though this list is not yet complete. More work to be done…

JohnCage · Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2005 9:42 am Post subject:

RE: Former Trumpeters of Wiener Philharmoniker

For similarity in structure and roots of words between Japanese and Korean, we easily can see Japanese web sites using computerized translation software while the raw results is quite hard to catch up the right meaning.

Anyway, I found that 'Holler' and 'Albrecht' were in VPO between Wobisch and Pomberger. I could not get further information such as even thier forename, bios, and solo(principal) or not.

The Japanese Web source is http://www015.upp.so-net.ne.jp/toru-trompete/kenkyuukai.html

They invite former/present VPO trumpeters and have masterclasses almost every year.

I found above information in the Singer's talk in that site so the fact seems quite reliable.
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Derek Reaban · Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2005 1:42 pm Post subject:

I received a message from Don Fought who is in the Librarian, Art & Music Department at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. He provided me with names and dates to complete this list for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Another list complete!

Derek Reaban · Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2005 2:25 pm Post subject:

JohnCage,

Thanks for your link to the Vienna Philharmonic web site information. It's extremely difficult for me to negotiate pages like this, but once I clicked one of the "unintelligible" links I arrived at the page where you located the pictures of the current section players!

I think I might try contacting one of the libraries in Vienna to see if they can help me with my request. I'm very close to completing the roster for this ensemble, but there are still some questions that need to be answered. Maybe I'll get lucky taking the library approach.

Thanks again for posting these pictures!
_________________
Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe Winds / Symphony of the Southwest

Derek Reaban · Posted: Fri Feb 11, 2005 10:53 am Post subject:

I received a message from Libby Rice (archivist at the LSO) and she has provided me with the remaining information that I need to complete this list. I will hopefully open final folders for several ensembles this weekend.

Derek Reaban · Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2005 9:00 am Post subject:

I put the information that I received from the San Diego Symphony in our format. I have a message out to the San Diego Public Library to see if additional information is available to fill in the gaps for this ensemble. I’m hopeful that they have what I need. I will update this list when I hear back from them.

San Diego Symphony
Principal Trumpet Players

Start-End________Name

1990-Current_______Calvin C. Price
1989-1990_________John Wilds (Acting Principal)
1988-1989_________Calvin C. Price
1987-1988_________Alan Seibert
1986-1987_________SDSO Shut Down
1985-1986_________David Burkhart (Acting Principal)
1984-1985_________???
1982-1984_________Edward Carroll
1980-1982_________???
1979-1980_________Glenn Fischthal
1967-1979_________David Greeno
1961-1967_________Gary Stollsteimer
1958-1961_________Perry de Long
1952-1958_________Gabriel Bartold
1951-1952_________Possibly Gabriel Bartold
1950-1951_________Gabriel Bartold
1942-19??_________World War II (SDSO Not in Operation for ??? Seasons)
1941-1942_________Perry de Long
1934-1941_________??? (Possibly Perry de Long)
1933-1934_________Perry de Long
1931-1932_________H. A. Moody
19??-1931_________???
1919-19??_________F. A. Groves
19??-1919_________???
1913-19??_________Possibly John H. Crippen

Web Site: San Diego Symphony Trumpet Players

Current roster for the 2004-2005 Season:
Calvin Price – Principal Trumpet
John MacFerran Wilds
Mark Bedell
_________________
Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe Winds / Symphony of the Southwest

Derek Reaban · Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2005 1:43 pm Post subject:

I received a message from Alan Barnett at the Utah History Research Center today. He has provided me with the names and dates of the players with the Utah Symphony beginning in 1948 (the earliest programs that they have). So while I have made progress with this list, it’s been VERY slow [I’ve talked with Anthony Plog (trumpet), Larry Zalkind (trombone), Llew Humphreys, Rebecca Vineyard (director of operations), Mari Parsons (Salt Lake City Library), and Linda Thatcher (Utah History Research Center)].

It is implied in the attached message that the best that we are going to get for this ensemble is partial information, and that’s fine.

If anyone happens to have been in attendance in for the first 8 seasons of the Utah Symphony (1940-1948) and has information to add to this list, I would be pleased to add it here.

Derek Reaban · Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2005 11:17 am Post subject:

I went to the Phoenix Public Library (The Arizona Room, located on the fourth floor of the Burton Barr Central Library) to see if information was available for the Phoenix Symphony. I made significant progress on this list although there are still some gaps.

1947-1948_____George Pauch, William Oltman, Conway Crunk
1948-1953_____(No PSO Programs Available for Review at Library)
1953-1954_____Hershel Kreloff, James Coffin, Tom Swanson
1954-1959_____(No PSO Programs Available for Review at Library)
1959-1960_____Hershel Kreloff, Sharon R. Toone, Charles Plowman, Jack Sheldon
1960-1961_____John Thysen, Hershel Kreloff, Charles Plowman, Ralph Kimball
1961-1964_____(No PSO Programs Available for Review at Library)
1964-1965_____Ralph Kimball, Tom Battenberg, David Yandall
1965-1966_____James Kowalsky, Ruth Still, David Yandall
1966-1967_____Warren Roche, Robert Koon, David Yandall
1967-1968_____David W. Kuehn, Alan Briggs, Robert Coons, Ron Fuller
1968-1969_____David W. Kuehn, Alan Briggs, Richard E. Jorgensen
1969-1970_____Edward Lewis, Alan Briggs, Richard E. Jorgensen
1970-1971_____James Thompson, Alan Briggs, Barbara Maxedon
1971-1972_____(No PSO Programs Available for Review at Library)
1972-1973_____James Thompson, Edward Hoffman, Alan Briggs
1973-1974_____(No PSO Programs Available for Review at Library)
1974-1975_____Russell Plylar, Alan Briggs, Edward Hoffman
1975-1976_____Russell Plylar, Alan Briggs, Edward Hoffman

I’m hoping to fill in the gaps on this list, but we’ll see if that’s possible. The PSO indicated that what I had originally on my list was all that they would be able to verify (back through David Kuehn), so I’m not certain if they will be able to answer my questions. I’ll try again though!

The Phoenix Symphony
Principal Trumpet Players

Start-End________Name

1982-Current_______Charles Berginc
2003-2004_________Emery Harvison (Acting Principal)
1973-1982_________Russell Plylar
1970-1973_________James Thompson
1969-1970_________Edward Lewis
1967-1969_________David Kuehn
1966-1967_________Warren Roche
1965-1966_________James Kowalsky
1964-1965_________Ralph Kimball
1961-1964_________(No PSO Programs Available for Review at Library)
1960-1961_________John Thysen
1959-1960_________Herschel Kreloff
1954-1959_________(No PSO Programs Available for Review at Library)
1953-1954_________Herschel Kreloff
1948-1953_________(No PSO Programs Available for Review at Library)
1947-1948_________George Paugh

Web Site: The Phoenix Symphony Trumpet Players

Current roster for the 2003-2004 Season:
Charles Berginc – Principal Trumpet (On Leave)
Emery Harvison - Acting Principal
John Marchiando – Acting 2nd Trumpet
Ben Nguyen

References:
Harvison and Marchiando references
James Thompson reference
David Kuehn reference
_________________
Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe Winds / Symphony of the Southwest

Derek Reaban · Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2005 12:24 pm Post subject:

I received a message from Edmund Pirouet, Archivist at the London Philharmonic today. He was able to update this list, which is now complete! I will open the final folder for this ensemble soon.

Derek Reaban · Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2005 2:57 pm Post subject:

I received a message today from Mary Frechette at the Saint Louis Public Library. She was able to fill in the gaps for the list that I have for the Saint Louis Symphony back to 1910. I still have to find the details back to 1879, but I’ll need to try a different source for that information. Making progress!

Derek Reaban · Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2005 7:21 am Post subject:

I received another message from Jeff Korak with details about the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. Attached is the updated list. Thanks Jeff!

Columbus Symphony Orchestra
Principal Trumpet Players

Start-End________Name

1988-Current_______James Underwood
2004-2005_________Tom Battenberg (Acting Principal)
2002-2003_________Tom Battenberg (Acting Principal)
1984-1988_________Steven Emery
1981-1984_________Steven Emery (Co-Principal)
1981-1984_________Robert Hightshoe (Co-Principal)
1951-1981_________Robert Hightshoe
19??-1951_________TBD

Web Site: Columbus Symphony Orchestra

Current roster for the 2004-2005 Season:
James Underwood – Principal Trumpet
Jeffrey Korak – 2nd Trumpet
Thomas Battenberg – 3rd / Assistant Principal
_________________
Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe Winds / Symphony of the Southwest

Derek Reaban · Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2005 7:40 am Post subject:

I received a message from Martyn Jones this morning with the complete details for the Philharmonia. Another group complete! I will open the final folder for this one soon.

Derek Reaban · Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 11:27 am Post subject:

I just received a message from Dave Clark at the Kansas City Symphony. He provided me with an Excel spreadsheet listing of all the trumpet players that have been with the KC Symphony / KC Philharmonic from its inception through today. With the exception of 4 years in the early part of the organization, the list is complete! I will pursue filling in the blanks through the KC Public Library.

It’s neat to see players that have been in this ensemble that I didn’t expect to see on the list:

Gabriel Bartold (the excepts book guy), Glenn Fischthal, Chris Gekker, Steven Emery, and Andrew McCandless.

I hope to finalize this list soon. Today’s input was a giant step forward for this ensemble!

Derek Reaban · Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2005 12:14 pm Post subject:

I've been working on the HKPO list recently and have made some good progress. Jonathan Clark suggested that I contact Andrew Simon who has played clarinet with the orchestra for many years. He helped to sort out the order of the players and asked me to contact David Washburn and Roger Manners for more details. I just received a message from David Washburn and contact information for Roger Manners, so I'm hoping this list is close to completion.