This preview has been provided by the Carolina Summer Music Festival.
Join us for dinner at the historic Salem Tavern as the Festival Brass play hits from the Big Band era.
The Artists
Anita Cirba, trumpet
Anita Cirba is principal trumpet for both the Winston-Salem and Greensboro Symphonies, and is a member of the Giannini Brass. She received her Bachelor of Music degree in Trumpet Performance from the North Carolina School of the Arts in 1980, and her Master of Music degree in Trumpet performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music in 1982. While in Cleveland she played with the Cleveland Orchestra for performances in Cleveland, as well as at Carnegie Hall. Anita was guest trumpet soloist with the Southeastern Ohio Orchestra in 2001, and has also appeared as a soloist with the Salisbury Symphony, Carolina Chamber Symphony, and the Winston-Salem and Greensboro Symphony Orchestras.
Ken Wilmot, trumpet
A native of South Carolina, Kenneth Wilmot is a member of the Winston-Salem and Greensboro Symphonies and is a founding member of the Giannini Brass. He has also performed with the New World Symphony and with the Eastern Philharmonic. He has appeared and toured with a variety of popular and jazz artists such as The Four Tops, Ray Charles, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, the Glenn Miller Orchestra, and the Guy Lombardo Orchestra. Ken earned his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from the North Carolina School of the Arts.
Joe Mount, horn
Joe Mount performs with numerous orchestras and chamber music ensembles throughout the Southeast. In addition to performing with the Giannini Brass, he is currently a member of the Winston-Salem and Greensboro Symphonies and the Carolina Chamber Symphony, and has performed as a substitute with the North Carolina Symphony, Charlotte Symphony and Charleston (SC) Symphony. Joe has been the director of outreach and community engagement at the North Carolina School of the Arts since 1986. He holds degrees from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in Arts Administration and from the North Carolina School of the Arts in Chamber Music. He also has a BM in Music Education from Wright State University. His main horn teachers include Fredrick Bergstone and Michael Hatfield. Joe has three children and three cats. In his spare time he enjoys kayaking.
Chris Ferguson, trombone
Chris Ferguson is in demand as a freelance musician performing with a variety of organizations including touring Broadway productions, symphony orchestras, big bands and the rodeo. He is principal trombone with the Salisbury Symphony and the Long Bay Symphony in Myrtle Beach, SC., and he is the trombonist for the Giannini Brass. He is a graduate of Appalachian State University and the North Carolina School of the Arts.
Matt Ransom, tuba
Matt Ransom enjoys a varied career as an orchestral musician, chamber musician, and educator. Matt has served as principal tuba with the Winston-Salem Symphony since 1994. He has also performed with the North Carolina, Charlotte, Greensboro, Augusta and Long Bay symphonies. Internationally, Matt has performed in France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Holland and Austria. As a chamber musician, Matt has performed throughout the southeastern states, in the Mid-West, and the Mid-Atlantic as tubist with Carolina Brass. He is the Artist Faculty Instructor of tuba and euphonium at the North Carolina School of the Arts and the Adjunct Instructor of tuba and euphonium at Wake Forest University. Previous teaching engagements include posts at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, St. Augustine’s College and Shaw University. Matt spends his summers teaching tuba and euphonium at the New England Music Camp in Sidney, Maine. He holds a BM and an Arts Diploma in tuba performance from the North Carolina School of the Arts. He also studied at the Peabody Institute, and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. His teachers include David Lewis, David Mills, David Fedderly, and James Jenkins.
John Beck, drums
John R. Beck has performed with a wide variety of ensembles in a diversity of musical styles. He joined the artist-faculty at the North Carolina School of the Arts in 1998, and is a percussionist with the Winston-Salem and Greensboro symphony orchestras, Brass Band of Battle Creek, and the Philidor Percussion Group. A former member of the United States Marine Band, he performed regularly with the National and Baltimore symphonies, Washington and Baltimore operas, and the Theater Chamber Players of the Kennedy Center. Beck has toured the United States as a xylophone soloist with the Marine Band, Jack Daniel’s Silver Cornet Band, and the New Sousa Band. While living in Washington, D.C., he recorded and performed commercial music on drum set and percussion with touring Broadway shows, jazz and “Top 40” bands.
Mr. Beck served previously on the faculties of the Universities of Utah, Colorado, Nevada and Florida State. He has authored articles for The Instrumentalist, North Carolina Music Educator, Percussive Notes, Yamaha Education Series CD-Rom, and The Zildjian Educator. An active member of the Percussive Arts Society, he serves on the board of directors and the education committee; is a past president of the N.C. Chapter; and has appeared as a clinician at three PAS international conventions. He holds degrees from Oberlin College and the Eastman School of Music. He presents clinics representing Innovative Mallets, Yamaha Percussion and Zildjian Cymbals. His compositions, arrangements and instructional video are published by HoneyRock.