THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF MUSIC Presents HOUSEWRIGHT VIRTUOSO
SERIES:
RHYTHM & BRASS
Wiff Rudd, Trumpet
Rex Richardson, Trumpet
Alex Shuhan, Horn/Piano
Tom Brantley, Trombone
Charles Villarrubia, Tuba
David Gluck, Percussion
Sunday, March 2, 2025
Seven-thirty in the Evening Opperman Music Hall
PROGRAM
Ave Maria Josquin Des Prez (1455–1521) tr. Charles Villarrubia
Rondo from Abdelazer, Z.570 Henry Purcell (1659–1695) tr. Charles Villarrubia
Speedy from Nero Suite Alex Shuhan (b. 1962)
Three Pieces Florence Price Deserted Garden (1887 – 1953)
Adoration arr. Charles Villarrubia Elfantanz
Ordner seg (It’ll be Alright)
Øystein Baadsvik (b. 1966) arr. Charles Villarrubia
Sitting in an English Garden arr. David Gluck (The music of The Beatles)
INTERMISSION
Boss Level David Gluck (b. 1967)
Palo Santo David Gluck
Amad Duke Ellington (1899–1974) arr. Tom Brantley
Caravan Duke Ellington arr. R&B
Temporary Heartbeat arr. David Gluck (The music of Pink Floyd and the Wizard of Oz)
Please refrain from talking, entering, or exiting while performers are playing. Food and drink are prohibited in all concert halls. Please turn off cell phones and all other electronic devices. Please refrain from putting feet on seats and seat backs. Children who become disruptive should be taken out of the performance hall so they do not disturb the musicians and other audience members.
The 2024-25 season marks the 31st anniversary of the founding of Rhythm & Brass. For 23 years, the group toured extensively in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Australia, Thailand and the Middle East. And now, after a seven-year hiatus, they are celebrating their musical and creative camaraderie by coming together to revisit old classics while simultaneously exploring new musical directions.
“Beyond Category” was a term the great Duke Ellington used as the highest form of praise for those artists who transcended normal boundaries. Since their inaugural season in 1993, Rhythm & Brass has lived up to the ideal of a musical presentation that is not bound by time, geography or culture. With the unique ability to incorporate influences as divergent as Josquin Des Prez, Pink Floyd, John Coltrane, Florence Price, Johann Sebastian Bach, Maria Schneider and, of course, Duke Ellington, Rhythm & Brass searches for the commonality in these influences and fearlessly weaves them all into a single concert experience.
Rhythm & Brass has also performed at numerous special events including a 1994 New York concert debut at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall with celebrated jazz trumpeter Randy Brecker. Commissions have been premiered at Chicago’s Mid-West International Band and Orchestra Clinic and the national convention of the Music Educator’s National Conference. R&B has also been featured at the New York Brass Conference, Music for All, the International Trumpet Guild Conference, the Raphael Mendez Brass Institute, Kentucky’s Great American Brass Band Festival, the National Trumpet Competition, the Brevard Music Festival and the National Association of Music Merchants Convention in Los Angeles.
Song & Dance (1994), the group’s debut CD on d’Note Records, includes an immensely versatile program of works from 17th century composer Samuel Scheidt to the world premiere recording of Dance Suite by Leonard Bernstein, his last composed work. Their second album, Time in September (1995), includes original jazz compositions by R&B members and features award-winning guitarist Gene Bertoncini as well as a commissioned work by the Grammy-nominated composer Maria Schneider. Christmas Time is Here (1996) was hailed by the national press as one of the most creative recordings for the holiday season.
R&B’s recording More Money Jungle…Ellington Explorations (1998), on the KochJazz label, celebrates the centenary of one of America’s most significant composers and musical ambassadors, Duke Ellington. The album was described by Entertainment Weekly as “…smart and deliciously off-centered…” and was named by the New York Times as “Album of the Week” (May 7, 1999).
Rhythm & Brass has been featured on “BET on Jazz” (Black Entertainment Television) performing several segments of the Ellington album. Sitting in an English Garden (2001) is an outrageous salute to the British invasion and includes music by The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and Led Zeppelin. Inside the Blue Suitcase (2004) features all original compositions by R&B members. The complete Rhythm & Brass discography available on major streaming services.
While maintaining individual performance careers beyond Rhythm & Brass, all members have dedicated much of their lives to music education, each finding a home in various music programs across the country: Charles Villarrubia, Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at the University of Texas-Austin; David Gluck, Idaho Arts Charter School and adjunct professor at Boise State University and Northwest Nazarene University; Alex Shuhan, Professor of Horn, Ithaca College; Rex Richardson: Professor of Trumpet, University of South Carolina; Tom Brantley; Professor of Trombone, University of South Florida; Wiff Rudd: Professor of Trumpet/Brass Area Coordinator, Baylor University.
Rhythm & Brass is a Yamaha Performing Ensemble. Mr. Villarrubia performs on Eastman instruments. Mr. Gluck is also sponsored by Zildjian Cymbals and Innovative Percussion.
