STEVEN MENARD

• Rachmaninoff (arr. Menard): Four SongsL IV. Spring Waters

"[Steven Menard] offers more than excellent sound, technique, and accuracy—he plays with all the expression these pieces need... because they are telling a story or singing about something in the text, singers maximize expression. Instrumentalists rarely do, so it is good to hear Steven Menard emote constantly... This is a very beautiful recording. Yoko Yamada is the very fine pianist in all of the works."

Kilpatrick, American Record Guide [January/February 2019]

Trombonist Steven Menard has enjoyed an extensive teaching and performing career throughout the United States and South America. Menard joined the faculty of the University of North Texas College of Music in 2016, where he helps to lead a studio of more than 70 aspiring trombonists. Prior to his appointment at UNT, Menard served on the faculty at Louisiana State University. His students have enjoyed success as orchestral audition winners, as prominent freelance musicians and as arts administrators. Menard is currently Principal Trombone of the Baton Rouge Symphony and a member of the Utah Festival Opera Orchestra. He has also performed with the symphony orchestras of Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas, Oregon, San Antonio, San Diego, Virginia and Jacksonville, the Louisiana Philharmonic and others. In addition to his orchestral work, Menard has performed in several Broadway shows, as well as recording sessions for television and film. In 2006, he performed on trombone and bass trombone with the first national tour of Chita Rivera: A Dancer’s Life and in 2009 performed as the trombonist with the national tour of Fiddler on the Roof starring Chaim Topol. A regular presenter of master classes and solo recitals at universities around the country, Menard has performed as a guest artist and in adjudicated solo competitions at the American Trombone Workshop, presented by the United States Army Band in Washington, D.C. In 2008, Menard was a finalist for the Lewis van Haney Orchestral Excerpt Competition and won the Frank Smith Solo Competition at the International Trombone Festival, and in 2013 served on the faculty at the Alfredo De Saint Malo Music Festival in Panama. Menard holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Trombone Performance from Northwestern University and a Master of Music degree in Trombone Performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Steve Menard is a performing artist for Conn-Selmer, and plays Bach trombones exclusively.

Pianist Yoko Yamada performs as a collaborative artist throughout the United States, Europe and Japan, particularly with notable brass and woodwind performers of major orchestras, including the symphony orchestras of Chicago, San Francisco, Boston and Detroit, the New York Philharmonic and Philadelphia Orchestra, the Lyric Opera of Chicago and overseas the Berlin Philharmonic and Vienna Philharmonic. Yamada frequently collaborates with Chicago Symphony brass players, annually accompanies the Midwest Trombone Euphonium Conference and recently served as accompanist for the International Trombone Festival and the annual Chicago Symphony Brass Concert. She often accompanies music faculty members in performances at Northwestern University, DePaul University Chicago and other colleges and universities in the United States. Yamada has appeared on WGBH radio in Boston and WFMT in Chicago, and has performed more than 500 pieces for brass and woodwind. Her career began with her as a pianist while she studied at Japan’s Toho High School of Music. A native of Hamamatsu, Japan, she received a Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance from Toho Gakuen School of Music in Japan and a Master of Music degree on piano performance from the New England Conservatory of Music.

Timothy Higgins was awarded the position of Principal Trombone of the San Francisco Symphony by Michael Tilson Thomas in 2008. He was previously the acting Second Trombonist with the National Symphony in Washington, D.C. Higgins, a Houston native, has performed with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Music of the Baroque, Grand Teton Music Festival, Sun Valley Summer Symphony, Washington National Opera and the symphony orchestras of Chicago, Milwaukee, Virginia and Baltimore. In addition to a busy orchestral career, Higgins is a sought after music arranger. He was the sole arranger of the National Brass Ensemble’s recording of works by Gabrieli, as well as of two Verdi opera overtures, conducted by Riccardo Muti. His arrangements have been performed by the Washington Symphonic Brass, Bay Brass, San Francisco Symphony brass section, Chicago Symphony brass section and Northwestern University Brass Ensemble. Higgins has also composed works for brass instruments for solo and chamber settings. As a teacher, he has been a faculty member of the Pokorny Seminar since 2012 and is currently on faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and Northwestern University. He has led master classes in Japan, China, Canada and the United States, including events at the Royal Conservatory in Toronto, New World Symphony and Juilliard School of Music. Higgins, whose arrangements and compositions are available through 415Music Publishing, earned a Bachelor’s degree in Music Performance from Northwestern University.

Christopher Davis, former bass trombone fellow of the New World Symphony and Pittsburgh Symphony, has performed regularly with the chamber orchestras of Cincinnati, Chicago, Cleveland, Colorado, Detroit, Minnesota, Pittsburgh and St. Paul. As a recording artist, Davis can be heard on classical recordings with the Buffalo Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra and Elgin Symphony, and also on saxophonist Greg Ward’s Touch My Beloved’s Thought and bassist Matt Ulery’s Festival with his band Loom/Large. Davis is currently on Faculty at the Wheaton College Conservatory and Northwestern University, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate trombonists. He is the Director of the Northwestern University Trombone Choir, which won the Emory Remington Trombone Choir Competition. Davis himself has won several competitions, including the Evanston Music Club Solo Competition, Union League Civic and Arts Foundation Classical Music Scholarship, Minnesota Orchestra Zellmer Orchestral Trombone Competition, and the Alessi Seminar Solo Competition. He is one of the founding members of the CT3 Trombone Quartet, winners of the International Trombone Association’s Quartet Competition. Davis has presented master classes and recitals at Texas State University, Western Carolina University, Eastern Illinois University, Snow College and Illinois Wesleyan University, and at the Isla Verde Bronces Brass Festival in Argentina. A native of Harvey, Illinois, Davis received his Bachelor of Music degree from Illinois Wesleyan University and his Master of Music degree from Northwestern University.

Cellist Brian Magnus is currently a member of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra in Florida. Prior to his appointment in Jacksonville, Magnus performed with the Austin Symphony, Waco Symphony, Las Colinas Symphony, Shreveport Symphony and Dallas Symphony orchestras. A Texas native, he earned both a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree in Cello Performance at Southern Methodist University under the tutelage of Christopher Adkins.
  CARLOS SALZEDO (1885-1961)
PIÈCE CONCERTANTE, OP.27 7:41

SERGEI RACHMANINOFF (1873-1943) | Arranged by Steven Menard
FOUR SONGS
Do Not Sing To Me, Fair Maiden, Op.4, No.4
The Little Island, Op.14, No.2
The Muse, Op.34, No.1
Spring Waters, Op.14, No.11

GEORG CHRISTOPH WAGENSEIL (1715-1777)
CONCERTO FOR TROMBONE
Adagio
Allegro assai

DANIELA CANDILLARI (b.1979)
BALKANIKA

ASTOR PIAZZOLLA (1921-1992) | Arranged by Anthony Wise
OBLIVION

JOHANNES BRAHMS (1833-1897) | Arranged by Verne Reynolds
THREE VOCAL DUETS
Es rauschet das Wasser, Op.28, No.3
Weg der Liebe, Op.20, No.2
So lass uns wandern, Op.75, No.3



MSR Classics