Friday began early with two 8 AM warmup sessions. Don Babcock and Ron Babcock (no relation) explained their daily routines to packed rooms.

At 9:00, the first panel discussion of the Festival took place. Heinz Fadle, Jan Kagarice, Daniel Kohut, and Dee Stewart discussed many topics, but all were centered on the the art of teaching music. In the concert hall at the same time, Rhythm & Brass presented a clinic covering musical styles.

The 2002 Remington Choir took the stage at 10:30. UT Austin professor, and current ITA President, Nathaniel Brickens conducted his choir in a varied program. Of special interest were Leon Brown’s arrangement of Landerkennung; Variations on Barnacle Bill, the Sailor, which featured dynamite playing by bass trombonist Michael McLemore; and a new piece dedicated to former UT professor Donald Knaub – Hill Country Miniatures.

Ben van Dijk’s bass trombone playing is superb, but his 11:00 concert/clinic showed everyone just how good he is on the contrabass trombone. Ben was joined onstage by Håkan Björkman, Jessica Gustavsson, and Lars Westergren, all members of the Royal Opera Orchestra of Stockholm. This group performed excerpts for an hour, including selections by Wagner, Verdi, and Strauss. One word comes to mind when I think back on this performance -- SOUND! The audience was in complete awe every time Ben played. Heinz Fadle helped out with the narration so Ben could stay focused on the performance. As this was a truly remarkable event, the text of the presentation and video clips will be placed on the ITA site. Thanks go to Ben for sharing this information.

Lunch at ITF2002 usually consisted of grabbing a sandwich and listening to trombone ensembles. At noon, Irv Wagner led the University of Oklahoma trombone choir in a performance at the Shrader Pavilion. This was a popular outdoor venue that allowed attendees to enjoy some fresh air.

Immediately following lunch, the Eastman Bionic Bones, winners of the 2002 Kai Winding Competition, presented a concert. Mark Kellogg and John Marcellus were guests with the group. The program included Lassus Trombone, Kai Winding’s arrangement of The Party’s Over, and the Wilder Suite.

ITF2002 had plenty of fabulous trombone quartets, as the LATEX Trombones proved on their 1:00 recital. This group was originally comprised of university professors from colleges in Louisiana and Texas, hence the name. Their program consisted of such standards as Marcello’s Psalm XIX, the Hornoff Suite, and Tcherepnin’s La Chasse.

One of the brightest young stars of the trombone world is Jörgen van Rijen. Jörgen is the principal trombonist in the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam. His recital showcased his musicality, control, and bare chest. Cantos de la Mancha, by Jan Sandström, is for trombone and CD accompaniment. Jörgen’s job was to depict a mad man, and he did a wonderful job of it as he ran around the stage and eventually ripped off his shirt.

Things settled down quite a bit at 3:00, when everyone had the choice of attending clinics by Jiggs Whigham and Jay Friedman. Jiggs focused on listening while Jay discussed legato playing.

At 4:30, the afternoon’s main event featured one tenor and two bass trombonists. Stefan Sanders performed two pieces -- Bozza's New Orleans and the premiere of a new piece by Howard Buss. American Phoenix, for bass trombone and four percussion, was written specifically for the thirtieth anniversary of the International Trombone Association. More information on this piece will be available soon.

Ian Bousfield performed two works that simply stunned the audience – Schumann’s Adagio and Allegro and Dvarionas’ Theme and Variations. Bousfield has unbelievable chops, but they never got in the way of his music making.

Having fully recovered from his morning workout with the contrabass, Ben van Dijk performed with members of Slide Tradition. His recital pieces consisted of Stevens’ The Chief, Frescobaldi’s Canzone, and Reijngoud’s Mr. Roberts. This was the world-premiere of Mr. Roberts, a chart Ben recorded on his debut album Nana.

ITF-goers were given a few hours to rest and eat dinner before the evening’s concert began. At 8:00, Trombones de Costa Rica took the stage in the Murchison Center. This group was arguably the hit of ITF2001 in Nashville. It is not usually the custom to perform on consecutive Festivals, but the audience quickly learned the reason behind their return ticket. CRTQ plays with a blend and balance not often heard in trombone ensembles; yet, even with their collective ensemble expertise, the four players still retain their individuality. Iván Chinchilla, bass trombonist, proved all night long that less is definitely more.

Prior to the start of the second half of the evening concert, John Drew presented the ITA Award. The 2002 recipient is New York Philharmonic Principal Trombonist Joseph Alessi. Unfortunately, Joe was unable to attend the Festival. Elwood Williams accepted the award on his behalf, and read a message of thanks from Joe.

At 10:30, everyone once again headed across the interstate to the Radisson. Friday’s performers were Tom “Bones” Malone, Bill Reichenbach, and Rosolino Competition winner Andy Hunter. After listening to great jazz for a few hours, everyone went home for some much-needed rest.