Kickstarter

In 2012, Tromboteam! embarked on an ambitious commissioning project. The project involves three phases. We are now in the middle of Phase 3.

  • Phase 1 – Commission new pieces for Trombone Ensemble
  • Phase 2 – Premiere all of the new pieces in one concert
  • Phase 3 – Release a professionally recorded album of this music

 

Phase 1

The first steps of our project included contacting composers, settling on fees, the writing of the music, and of course funding. In order to end up with a wide variety of music that would nod to the trombone quartet tradition, but also expand the repertoire further, we contacted composers with varying backgrounds at different stages of their careers. We couldn’t be happier that Greg Danner, Nicholas A. Drake, James Kazik, Kevin McKee, Inez McComas, Polina Nazaykinskaya, Kathryn Salfelder, Alan Theisen, and Dorn Younger agreed to join the project. We believe that ALL of the music they ultimately composed for us will remain in the repertoire for years to come.

We raised money through private donations and a fundraising effort through Kickstarter. The Kickstarter campaign launched on September 18th, 2012 and officially funded just 10 days later on October 2nd. Overall, we were able to raise over $10,000 for new trombone music! The project received support from several prominent trombonists (Scott Hartman, Per Previg, Ralph Sauer, Abbie Conant, Larry Zalkind, Achilles, Alex Iles, Susan K. Smith, etc.) and garnered attention from the International Trombone Association. For a complete list of donors, click here. Our Kickstarter proposal can be found by following this link: Tromboteam! is Commissioning and Premiering New Music.

Feel free to contact us (tromboteam@gmail.com) about what we learned from our Kickstarter experience. We will happily share what we think worked well and what didn’t work as well.

 

Phase 2:

We joined forces in Chicago in July 2013 for some mammoth eight-hour rehearsals before presenting three concerts in Joliet, Wilmette, and at the Merit School of Music. The concerts streamed live via the Internet, which allowed our composers to witness the live premieres. The audiences were overwhelmingly enthusiastic and we were delighted with the excited response to brand new music. It was especially delightful to speak to these folks following the concerts since each had different favorites! Performances from these three concerts were distributed by CD and digital download to many who contributed to the funding effort.

 

Phase 3:

We secured additional funding through a grant from The University of Southern Mississippi to help complete our project. Recording Session #1 was in New Haven, CT, in August 2013. The final recording session took place in December 2013. Our debut album, Last Lap, was released on the MSR label December 2015! It is available to purchase as a physical CD or digital download here.