A fine trumpet recital by Erin Yanacek

Nov 25, 2013 · 2 minute read · Comments
trumpetErin YanacekCarnegie Mellon UniversityPittsburgh

I attended a graduate trumpet recital by Erin Yanacek, in which she performed works of Robert Planel, Camille Saint-Saens, George Enescu, Franz Joseph Haydn, and Herbert L. Clarke.

(Update of 2014-07-28)

Erin has posted a video of the Herbert L. Clarke work from her recital:

A little about Erin

I first encountered Erin, without yet knowing who she was, from attending a CMU Baroque Ensemble Concert for the first time over a year ago. Then, some months later, without knowing the name or connecting it with anyone I had seen before, I saw a heartfelt article she wrote for a new blog on the arts, “The Muse Dialogue”, “Seeking the love of music that I once felt”. Then I bumped into her at a party Abby and I attended, and I finally connected the dots. It also turned out that she is a serious runner, and we’ve accidentally crossed paths while both running in the trails of Frick Park. And she’s also a cyclist and has done the wildly difficult Pittsburgh Dirty Dozen.

Finally, if you’re a fan of Pittsburgh’s River City Brass, you may have seen her recently, as she is now a cornet player there.

It’s about the music

I rather enjoy Erin’s playing. She’s a versatile and sensitive musician, adept at different styles and different moods, exploring and showcasing what the trumpet can express. Whether it’s pure brilliance, classical elegance, tender and lyrical romanticism, or jazzy/bluesy attitude and rhythm, I’m pretty impressed by the range of what Erin can do using a trumpet to communicate. Erin’s program was a tasty sampler of trumpet delight. I especially like the way she shapes phrases, really making the instrument sing and speak.

Pittsburgh is blessed to have Erin as part of the local community of excellent musicians, and I hope to continue seeing her perform when I can! Check her out.