23 Dec Top Brass: Family holiday concert at Opera House Saturday
[ click play button to hear]
Brass-tacks: On Saturday, December 27, the historic Sheridan Opera House presents the Holiday Brass Quintet, all members of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. The ensemble includes Patrick Tillery and Dan Kuehn on trumpet, David Brussel, French horn, Mike Dunn, tuba, and Paul Naslund, trombone.
Paul likes to toot his horn about his long history with Telluride.
“Visiting Telluride for me is like taking a journey into past history both for Colorado and my own family,” he explained. “In 1933, my grandmother came to Telluride from Michigan with my mother. She had contracted tuberculosis and had watched two of her sisters succumb to the disease and reasoned that Colorado and more specifically Telluride would be her best chance for survival. By the time I knew my grandmother she had moved to Denver. Walking around town, I imagined her footsteps in this strangely familiar and friendly place.”
He fell in love with our community the first time he performed in town.
“Each time I visit your hometown, I am amazed and delighted about how much there is to see and do. In 1999, I had the pleasure of performing at the Telluride Jazz Celebration backing up Terence Blanchard in the Festival Studio Orchestra. I remember listening to Stanley Turrentine in concert at the Sheridan, and recall seeing him back stage, where he was happy to have oxygen between numbers. Performing at altitude is something else. I come from Denver, but still get light-headed playing at an even higher elevation.”
Last July, Paul performed in town with his parent company, the Colorado Symphony.
“What I will always remember most about that Telluride experience is standing next to the house on the cliff atop the Bridal Veil Falls looking out across town and imagining what it must have been like 70 years ago, seeing everything still very alive and well today.”
The Quintet’s holiday program includes a mix of classical, jazz and seasonal chestnuts. Press the “play” button to hear Paul perform.
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