In the summer of 2015, my wife and I along with five of my trumpet students from Iowa State University attended the Orvieto TrumpetFest. Trumpetfest is part of the Orvieto Musica Festival and is headed by Dr. Amy Gilreath, Professor of Trumpet, Illinois State University. Amy is an incredible musician and teacher, and along with other attending trumpet faculty, the trumpet playing and exchanges of ideas was well worth the trip.
Each day was filled with rehearsals, master classes, and performances. This festival is an excellent immersion into Italian culture, as we enjoyed the spectacular scenery, architecture, and cuisine of the city. In short, this was a great festival, as well as terrific experience for everyone on the trip.
The week was an exchange of ideas between the students and an opportunity to listen to and experience great playing, great literature, and in-depth insight to approaches, pedagogy, and musical art.
Trumpetfest was an experience of a lifetime for my trumpet students that they are still talking about. The students worked with the attending and visiting faculty each morning in several trumpet ensembles that rehearsed daily, and performed two concerts in the town of Orvieto. More significantly, the week was an exchange of ideas between the students and an opportunity to listen to and experience great playing, great literature, and in-depth insight to approaches, pedagogy, and musical art.
The accommodations and performance venues were first rate. My wife and I had our own apartment for the week; the students were housed in separate apartments with other students attending the festival. The festival was incredibly easy to access by bus or train from Rome, and departure was equally smooth and easy. All of the expenses in Orvieto were very reasonable, the city is full of excellent restaurants, and there is very easy walking access to groceries and essentials.
– Jim Bovinette, Professor of Trumpet, Iowa State University
Dr. Jim Bovinette is a professor at Iowa State University. He brought a class of trumpeters to Orvieto Musica 2015, and will be attending the 25th Anniversary Festival in 2018.